Strange Bedfellows
by Christy3k
Summary: Beth Green had decided to be more proactive and do what she can to be self sufficient. When she asks a certain redneck to tech her self defense; will she learn more then bargained for? This is a Meth fic and it dose get smutty (not till later chapters) so you have been warned.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I don't own Walking Dead; I just like to play with the charters :-) This is a Meth fic, and it dose get smutty...you have been warned. I hope you enjoy it; I have most of this fic written, but I'm definitely up for any suggestions. Remember; every time you review; God saves a kitten. **

Beth Green is a practical woman. She liked to think things through before she reacted. With everyone's growing concerns over Rick's mental state and the tension between Woodbury and the group reaching a boiling point; she felt the need to make some practical changes. In addition to keeping a journal of their experiences; she started to make a sort of bucket/to do list. She decided that it would be prudent to learn to use as many weapons as possible. After Daryl rejoined the group she made it a point to ask him to teach her how to use a crossbow. He looked at her like she was crazy, but she explained why she wanted to learn.

The next morning she managed to talk Daryl into letting her practice, but just on the pillows. He showed her how to notch a bolt and how to adjust the setting. Once she was comfortable with the basics; he let her take some shots. After a few rounds her aim was sold; but Daryl was not a talker and Beth hated silence. She finally decided to strike up a conversation.

"Did your dad teach you how to shoot?"

Daryl snorted. "My old man didn't teach me shit…sept how to duck when he went to swinging and how to keep my fucking mouth shut if he came how drunk…funny thing is that's the only time he came home. Naw it was Merle that taught me how to shoot and hunt. Taught me damn near everything."

"You two are close; like me and Maggie."

Daryl nodded "He aint no saint or nuttin but there's more to him then he lets on. I know Rick and them don't think much of him…he was always high in Atlanta…and I'm sure he did what he did with the governor to survive. That stuff with Glen…it was bad, but the reason he ain't got one hand is cuz he had to cut it off. Rick, Tdog and Glen hand cuffed him to a roof and left him. He was acting all crazy, but who leaves a person chained to a pipe on a roof to die man."

"Oh I didn't know about that. I'm sure they had reason, but I can see why Merle would be angry. So if you dad was no help; where did Merle learn?"

"Military, he was in for a while…till he was dishonorably discharged…he didn't respect authority," Daryl grinned, "aint that a bitch."

Beth smiled back and laughed. "I just can't imagine."

They both laughed for a moment and enjoyed the lightness of the mood for a change.

She started to walk back and then turned to Daryl "I know he's your brother…but do you trust him?"

"I trust him with my life."

She turned back and headed into the door.

That evening; as she studied her list; she debated on what to do next. She was already writing down the music for one of her favorite songs every day and writing down everything that had happened since the outbreak so that one day people would know what it was like. She read over her list and got to learn to fight/self-defense. Daryl would be a good choice but he was already teaching her the cross bow. She thought about Michonne, but she wasn't sure about her yet. Then she remembered what Daryl had said about Merle being in the military. He had taught Daryl a bunch of stuff; so it didn't seem too far-fetched to ask. Also; if the others saw him helping her and doing a good job of it; they might be a little more trusting of him. That would be a good way to help out Daryl for teaching her; she knew it was important to him that Merle becomes a part of the group.

It seemed like a good idea; right up until she tried to gather the courage to ask him. The worst he could do was laugh in her face or just say no. She figured that wasn't all that bad compared with everything she had been through. She sighed, closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she went to ask him. She found him sharpening the blade on the end of his right arm. As she approached him, he looked up and smiled at her. "Well hello there princess…what you doing here?"

"Well I needed to ask you a question."

He turned around on the bench to face her. "You came over here to talk to me all by your lonesome? Aint nobody told you I'm a bad man.?"

"I wanted to make up my own mind."

He snickered and stroked his face with his hand. "I see; how exactly where you planning on doing that princess? That seems like a bad idea to me…seeing as you might not like the answer." Now he was standing over her, and he was well over 6ft tall. She suddenly began to question her own sanity; but she had come this far so she might as well ask. She swallowed hard before she spoke. "You see; I'm trying to be more self-sufficient. Daryl is teaching me how to use the cross bow; but I figure I need to learn some self-defense stuff too. I don't want to bother Rick or Daryl cuz there always so busy and Daryl told me that you taught him how to shoot cuz you were in the Army. I thought if you taught me some self-defense; it could also help win over the rest of the group. Cuz you'd be helping me out and all."

"Sweetheart; I do believe that ship has sailed. Oh my litte bro wants me to make nice…but I don't see it hapnin."

"Well helping teach me would be considered making nice; then at least you can show Daryl you tried. He's you brother after all."

"That he is…that he is. Well princess you should know that I'm not the kindest teacher. If we do this thang you probably gonna hate me once it's over."

"Do you think that if the governor and his goons bust in here they are gonna take me back to Woodbury to play patty cake." Beth set her jaw; she didn't want Merle to see how nervous he made her.

"No they will not." He began to stroke his jaw again. "Alright what the hell; it gives me somin to do besides sitting on my ass all day. Well start tomorrow; you just come find me once you're ready."

"Ok; I'll be here."

"Oh I doubt you'll show. But who knows; maybe you'll prove me wrong princess."


	2. Bruises and Ballads

**AN: So it begins. I was hoping to make it a slow burn, but I'm trying to stick to TV cannon in this one...so I had to pick up the pace, next chapter is even more fun. Remember I'm so down for any suggestions you have. As always please R/R**

The next morning; she went to find Merle. He looked up after she walked in; a grin spread across his face. "Well doesn't that just beat all; the princess showed up. All right sugar; shall we get to work?"

He led her outside to on open patch of grass. He gave it a good once over and decided this would have to do. She stood on the field anxiously awaiting instructions. Merle had already removed his knife hand; he turned to face Beth. "Let's see whatcha got."

"Excuse me"

"Oh I'm not looking for excuses darling; let's get to it."

Beth's confusion was evident on her face. "I don't understand."

Merle cupped his hand around him mouth like a megaphone and shouted "I want you to bring your perty little ass over here and attack me."

Beth was mortified, her body frozen in place. She didn't have the knowledge or desire to attack anyone much less this mountain of a man. She wouldn't even know how to start.

Merle sighed and shook his head. "You have 10 seconds or I'm leaving…10…9"

Beth panicked and ran towards Merle. Once she reached him, she shoved him.  
He laughed. "Is that all you got?"

She tried to punch him, but he just shoved her away. She began to kick him and even got in some good hits, but nothing phased him.

"Come on princess…you can do better than that."

Beth threw her arms down in frustration. "No I can't. I don't know what I'm doing."

Merle placed his hand behind his ear. "I'm sorry what was that last part?"

Beth sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know what I'm doing."

Merle smiled down at her. "Exactly; best you not forget that. That means what I say goes, no questions asked. If I get any back talk or of you want to get all winey and tell me why you can't do something…this little class of ours is done. I have a zero tolerance policy for bullshit and excesses. Do you copy?"

"Yes sir." Beth stood a little straighter hoping he would take her seriously.

"Alright then; let's start with self-defense. We'll do some basic holds and show you how to break out of em. Pay attention and I just might learn you something today."

She collapsed on her bed that night, exhausted and sore from head to toe. Beth was certain that she would have difficulty getting around tomorrow, but over all she was very satisfied. Merle had proven himself to be a ruthless taskmaster; but he was effective. She was now able to get out of a bear hug, a choke hold and any number of wrist/arm restraints. She was concerned that he might have an issue restraining her with only one arm; that was sooo not a problem. He manipulated her like a rag doll. Beth had to give him credit, he said he wouldn't go easy on her and the bruises she would have tomorrow would prove him a man of his word. However, as difficult as he had made it for her to break the holds; she doubted that anyone in the governor's camp could restrain her by themselves. She drifted off to sleep and hoped that she could hide any visible evidence of her training session.

Merle sat in his room…if you can call a cell a room…and thought about his current situation. He wanted to be with his brother, his entire motivation for surviving after he amputated his own hand was in the hope that he would be reunited with Daryl. Even though they were only apart for around 16 months….he could feel the chasm between them. Daryl had changed and he couldn't help feeling the same since of abandonment he felt while he was trapped on the roof top in Atlanta. The one thing he could always count on was his brother. Daryl had his back no matter how much stupid shit he pulled or what kind of trouble he was in. Now it feels like his loyalties lie with officer friendly and his merry band of fuck ups. There was a part of him; a place in the back of his mind that suggested what he wanted was a place to belong. That perhaps; if he was to make nice and try to follow Daryl's example he could find a purpose for his sorry existence. Merle ignored that inner voice entirely.

After chewing on this for what felt like forever; he decided to get up wander. He found it difficult to sleep and there were no magic pills around to help him get there either. He walked aimlessly until her heard movement and decided to see who was awake at this hour. There was a good deal of echo in the corridors, but Merle was a fair tracker and he made his way around to the right corner. In one of the cells he could see a small figure holding something in its arms. As he got closer; he could hear a low whispered voice. Leaning in; he realized it was the little princess; and it looked like she was about to give the baby a bottle. She situated herself into the chair and propped her legs on the metal bed frame. Once she had the bottle in place she began to talk to the baby again. "There see; I told you it would only be a second. So I'm still writing down my favorite songs so maybe if this crap ever ends no one will forget them. I'm thinking All my Tears for tonight."

The baby cooed and reached up to the girl with her tiny hand.

"I'll take that as a yes." Closing her eyes; she began to softly sing.

When I go don't cry for me; in my Father's arm's I'll be.

The wounds this world left on my soul will all be healed and I'll be whole.

Sun and moon will be replaced with the light of Jesus' face

And I will not be ashamed; for my Savior knows my name.

It don't matter where they bury me; I'll be home and I'll be free.

It don't matter where I lay; all my tears be washed away.

Gold and silver blind the eyes; temporary riches lie.

Come and eat from Heaven's store. Come and drink and thirst no more.

So weep not for me my friend; when my time on earth dose end.

For my life belongs to Him; who will raise the dead again.

It don't matter where they bury me; I'll be home and I'll be free.

It don't matter where I lay; all my tears be washed away.

Merle was so entranced by her singing that he was unaware how far he had leaned over. His appendage lightly scraped the rail, alerting Beth to his presence. She jerked her head up and scanned the room. "who's there?"

Merle walked to Beth, he figured it was better to scare her in person then try to hide and let her be freaked out for who knows how long.

"Just me princess; I heard ya down the hall and come to check out the noise. Didn't mean to creep up on ya, but your singing was so pretty I didn't want ta intrude."

She smiled at her feet. "Oh thanks; I usually get up with Judith for her early bottle. I sing her whatever song I'm writing down that day. It helps me remember all the words."

"Writing down songs…for posterity. Like Milton and that notebook he's forever scratching in."

Beth gently placed Judith in her crib and sat back down, "Yep; I'm working on stuff I can do…you know…before I go. I've been writing down one of my favorite songs every day. I'm also writing everything I can remember since the outbreak. I guess to tell my family's story…how we survived on the farm and how we meet Rick and his group. I'm hopeful I'll have made some progress on self-defense soon."

Merle laughed. "You're doing just fine princess, just fine. I am curious…how did Rick come across your little farm anyway?"

Beth examined him for a moment. She was desperately curious about the man; but was fairly sure he would not just answer questions openly. Then she had an idea.

"Quid pro quo. It means…"

He flipped a folding chair around so that it faced him and sat. "This for that…I'm a redneck for sure but I ain't as uneducated as you might think."

Beth's face gave her surprise away. She shook her head and looked back to Merle. "Ok; so I answer your question…but you have to answer one of mine."

"Ok princess…you first."

She began to regale the tale of Carl being shot by Otis and how her father, Otis and Shane had saved his life. Merle seamed to get something from the story she did not, like some missing puzzle piece was found. She was told about how he lost his hand, but never how he and Daryl found the group in the first place so that seemed like a good place to start.

"How did you meet Rick and the group?"

He leaned back trying to recall how he had gotten mixed up with this group in the first place.

"We were headed to Atlanta; and come across the group camping out by a quarry. Truth be told, me and my brother had plan's to rob these folks and keep moving. There was a bunch o women and children….so Darylina went all soft on me and we decided to throw our lot in with em. Panned out pretty good at first. There was this hot little blond and her sister…so I had something to look at...the women did the laundry and cooking cuz we did the hunting and took turns on watch. Sargent Shane was a pain in my ass…but nothing I couldn't ignore. The little china man(Merle held up a finger) wait I almost forget….Korean man was real handy at fetching stuff we needed from A town. All in all; it wernt a bad gig. Until the day I decided to go on a group run with these ya-whos and ran smack into the butt end of officer friendly's gun. I was cuffed to a pipe and well (raising his appendage up) I think you know how that ended."

"I got that part of the story; they said you were acting all crazy. That you had to be restrained and that T-dog accidently dropped the key, but they came back for you."

"Sadly; that's true. I was tweaking on meth and got a little gun crazy. I took the truck they came back to Atlanta in…that's how I got to Woodbury. I most likely would have died if I hadn't of done it though. We didn't have your daddy around to stick folks up back them…I'd of just blead out. Might have been better that way…who's to say?"

Beth placed a soft warm hand on his arm. "You can't think that way; if your still here there is a reason. God doesn't call us home till it's our time."

Merle snorted. "The Governor had a bunch of us open fire on a group of Army rangers. Mowed those boys down like sheep; where do you suppose God was then? Sleeping on the job maybe."

Beth was caught off guard by his anger. "I can't speak for God, but that was one evil man's decision. Not some random set of events."

Merle shook his head and stood up. "Girl you got to pull your head out your ass. There are evil people doing fuck up shit out there and God ain't showing up. If you want to make it in this world you gonna have to start protecting you and yours. Otherwise you end up walker chow."

"So that's your mantra. Just worry about yourself and your family and screw everyone else."

"Pretty much"

"How's that working out for you so far?" Beth stood in front of him, unflinching. Her blue eyes were piercing him and he felt very exposed by this young woman. He started to yell some more. Maybe use his size to intimidate her and get her to shut up; but he just felt old and tired.

"Point taken. I'm gonna call it a night…you get some sleep now."

"I will"

He turned to head back to his cell/room when he heard her voice again.

"Hey Merle; I usually feed Judith at this time. Sing her a song and put her back to bed. If you ever wanted to talk…well the company would be nice."

"I'll keep that in mind darling."

As he lay down on his cot; his mind was filled with thoughts of blue eyes that he was certain he could drown in.


	3. Scarred

**AN: This one starts out really sweet but ends on a deeper note. I like to work up to the drama. Have no fear I will faithfully update. So I'm super psyched about the response so far. I love opening up my email in the morning and seeing all the favorites and followers. Reviews are the best and thank you to all who did so. Special shout out to LostOne1775 for acknowledging that they saved a kitten. Also I love Brazen Hussy (great name btw) for saying she always has "time for a bit of Meth" I agree :-) Thanks again and remember to keep saving those kittens. **

Merle agreed to continue training her; but he wanted her to take a break toady. He knew how bruised and sore she would be and wanted to give her body time to recover. When she went to little Judith's crib, her mind was swimming. She was so consumed with thoughts of a certain gruff redneck she was not able to choose a song.

"Hmm; I just can't think Judith. Maybe we can do a pop song tonight…or a fun dance tune."

Judith furrowed her brow and began to squeal.

"Ok; I got it…no pop and no dance…good grief little one you sure are demanding."

"Don't let her give you no grief little bit; we got better musical taste then that."

Beth looked up startled by the voice that came from nowhere. In the doorway; Merle was silhouetted against the gray walls. He leaned casually against the door frame; moonlight playing across his weathered face and illuminating his blue gray eyes. She was frozen in time and for just a brief moment; forgot to breath. Reality settled in once Judith began to fuss.

"Ok missy ok…I'm so sorry but I'm just stuck for a song tonight."

This answer did not satisfy the baby at all.

"Looks like you're losing your touch princess."

Beth was getting frustrated. "Fine Mr. Wonderful; if you're so smart, you pick a song."

"Oh no mamm…this is your little list darling. You gonna have ta figure it out."

Beth sighed to herself. As infuriating as the situation was; she know he was right. It was her list and her favorite songs…but then an idea came to her.

"Ok; your right; it is my list. However I'm stuck with a cranky Judith and no good ideas. Why don't you tell me a song that reminds you of me? Then it's still about me and it's my list; how about it?"

There was only one song that came into his head. It practically leapt to the front of his mind the moment she asked the question. Desperate; he tried to think of a song ANY other song…but his mind refused to co-operate with him. He finally gave up; hell it was an old song for all he knew she wouldn't even know it.

"Ain't no Sunshine…it's the first one that comes to mind."

Beth starred at him; stunned for a moment. She knew and loved that song; but it was such a surprising choice. Well; she had come up with this solution and Judith was not going back to bed without a song. It was her morning ritual and she was not going to have anyone change that.

'Ain't no sunshine when she's gone

It's not warm when she's away

Aint no sunshine when shes gone and she's always gone too long

Anytime she goes away'

Judith began to nod off so Beth rose from her chair and gently place the baby in her bed. She turned and began to walk over to Merle. Maybe it was the way the moonlight softened his features or the fact that he choose this song but she was embolden and decided to go with her gut. Wordlessly; she laid her left arm on his shoulder and placed her hand into his. He looked her over for a moment and realized what she wanted. He pulled her in close and rested his right arm across her lower back and moved her left hand to his shoulder placing his hand on top of hers. They began to slowly sway into an easy two step; keeping time with an imaginary band as she continued to sing.

'Wonder this time where she's gone

Wonder if she's gone to stay

Aint no sunshine when she's gone

And this house just aint no home anytime she goes away'

'And I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know

Yea; I oughtta leave the young thing alone; but aint no sunshine when she's gone'

'Aint no sunshine when she's gone

Only darkness everyday

Aint no sunshine when she's gone

And this house just aint no home

Anytime she goes away

Anytime she goes away

Anytime she goes away

Anytime she goes away'

There was something about how genuine and sweet the girl was that brought out his softer side. He loved the way she felt in his arms; he even managed to twirl her once before there impromptu dance came to an end. She giggled, her face always seemed like it was lit from within. Beth curtsied at her partner and smiled as she sat back down. He looked at her and felt like a creep. I mean here he was; lurking around at the crack of dawn so he could be alone with a girl that was barley legal. He wanted to kick his own ass. Arms crossed; he shifted his weight from foot to foot and dropped his eyes to the floor. Sensing that he would be leaving soon; Beth quickly thought of a way to get him to stay.

"Quid pro quo. Why did you join the Army?"

Merle grinned. She had figure out a way to keep him here without being obvious. He would play along, after all what could answering a few questions hurt.

"Guess it started out as a way to make something out of myself. I thought that I could put my hunting and shooting skills to good use; but I guess I forgot about my mouth. It was the right thing to do at the time; most likely kept me outa prison...for awhile at least."

"Do you regret leaving?"

Merle chuckled "Sugar I didn't leave; I was kicked out. But naw; I learned some things that helped me out and all, I just figure there aint no point in think bout what you can't change. Only thing I ever regretted was the stuff I didn't do. In case you thought I was slippin; that's two answers you owe me now."

Beth nodded. "I know; bring it on."

Merle sat down and leaned back, contemplating what to ask.

"Why did ya try ta off yourself?"

Beth looked surprised. She didn't hid her scar; but she didn't talk about it either.

"I noticed the scar on your arm the first time I saw ya. Not too much gets past me darling."

Beth absentmindedly ran her fingers across her scar.

"I...I was really tired of all the death. Shan found the barn where we were keeping walkers. Back then we thought that there would be a cure, that we could bring them back somehow. Anyway; he was hella pissed that we were keeping the walkers and didn't tell anyone. He opened the barn and started shooting them. My momma...she was...she was in there. I ran to her side but she wasn't totally gone and she tried to bite me. I guess that's when we realized that they were gone. We'd been hiding a bunch of corpuses hopping for the resurrection. Then Carol's little girl Sophia walked out. They had spent every day looking for her; no one knew that she was in the barn the whole time. It was all just so sad; I kinda broke. Andrea was the only one brave enough to leave me with a knife. I cut myself; but once I saw the blood I freaked out. Maggie helped me wrap my arm till daddy could look at it. I didn't cut deep enough for stitches; guess I was never really committed."

She had felt week and helpless then; that is why she was trying so hard to make changes. She wanted to be strong. Merle reached over and grabbed her arm, turning it so he could examine her scar. Beth was surprised at how gentle his touch was. Warmth spread throughout her body as his thumb traced the angry white line that ran up her smooth pale limb. Placing his hand under her wrist; he raised her arm bringing closer to her face.

"You ain't some emo mother fucker cutting for attention. This ain't a scar; it's a war wound. You remember that princess."

She locked eye with him and nodded. It was strange to be getting encouragement from this man that everyone considered so dangerous. Frozen in the moment; she felt drawn to him in a way she hadn't before. Daryl was right; there was more to Merle then what he let on.

"You should get some rest; I believe we have a date tomorrow."

Beth smiled and nodded "I'll be ready."

"You best bring your A game missy; I don't tolerate slackers."

He turned and walked towards his room. "Sir yes sir" she whispered under her breath.


	4. Revelations

**AN: Again thank you for your support and keep it coming. Also I have a confession, a few of you wondered how I update as often as I do...wellll... I write the first 4 or 5 chapters to a longer fic before I ever publish it. I hate getting into a good fan fic only to have the author just quit on me...gurrr! I vowed to never do that (good new for you dear readers) so I have to make sure I can follow through before I put it on the sight. I have sooo many fic's started that you would not believe! Also I did get a knock for spelling/grammar so I will be double checking myself in the future, but some bad grammar and spelling is on purpose due to the Dixon southern vernacular. Ok kiddies Meth smut is just around the corner, so stay tuned and keep saving those kittens :-)**

They all meet up in the main room that morning and she was still reviewing the conversation in her mind that afternoon. Her dad was trying to get them to leave. Rick was insistent that they stay. The argument continued, but what stuck with her was what Merle had said. "You should be." When Daryl had insisted that "we aint afraid of that prick"; Merle said "you should be". She didn't claim to know Merle all that well; but he did not strike her as a man that scared easily. She imagined that 9 times out of 10 he would fight before running and this man had him voting to run. She contemplated the discussion as she wandered aimlessly; looking for busy work. Beth hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but she was drawn to the conversation by her father's voice.

"You must be the black sheep, Merle." She listened intently. Beth was as surprised as her father when Merle finished the quote from Mathew. She remembered Merle saying "I'm not as uneducated as you might think." He described the order in which everyone would die when the governor returns. There was one thing he said that stayed with her. "He's gonna kill Rick last; so he can watch his friends and family die ugly." Die ugly, it was sad to think that she would fear death at the hands of a human when she spent the greater part of last year staying alive by avoiding the walkers. The world was so upside down she couldn't even get her head around it.

They meet up on the same little field and began working on more active self defense. He gave her a quick review of the holds he taught her to break and she remembered how to get out of all of them. Truth be told; he was damn proud of her. After she was comfortable with a few more moves; they took a break and laid down in the grass.

"You still owe me another answer from last night."

"Well I can't give you an answer without a question."

He laughed; she had been hanging around him too much lately. His sarcasm was definitely rubbing off on her.

"Ok, what is one thing that no one else knows about you?"

"I was supposed to go to Perdue this year; but I applied to OCU and Columbia. I was accepted by both and I was offered a full ride to study voice at OCU. I never told daddy or anyone because they all assumed that I would be a vet just like him."

"Ok, Columbia I get; and Perdue I get...but OCU"

"Oklahoma City University, the alma mater of Kristin Chenoweth."

Merle gave her a blank stare. She rolled over on her side to face him, the look of disbelief covering her face.

"Kristin Chenoweth...Wicked...GCB...GLEE!" He grinned as he shook his head. "You really don't know who she is? You've never heard of Wicked? Defying Gravity?" She took a deep breath and tried singing a few lines to see if he would recognize the song. No luck.

"Ok; I give up...so what about you? What's something that no one else knows about you?"

Merle thought for a moment. He took a long drag off the cigarette he was nursing.

"When I enlisted; I made a 97 on the ASPH."

Beth's eyes widened. "Whoa, doesn't it top out at 100?"

Merle nodded

"Yep, they made me take the damn thing 3 times. Thought I was cheatin I guess. How the hell else is some red neck mother fucker gonna make that kinda score."

"Some of that you bring on yourself. You do like to play the fool."

Again Merle was thrown off by how quickly she could get a read on him. It was getting irritating. He decided to simplify the conversation.

"How about we keep it simple darlin; like whats your favorite movie."

She smiled knowing he was uncomfortable with getting close to her.

"Ok, what is your favorite movie?"

"Apocalypse Now...and no the irony of my answer dose not escape me."

She giggled "Well I guess that explains why you and Glen don't get along."

He looked at her quizzically

"Charlie don't surf."

Merle laughed out loud, long and hard. It was the first time in a long time that his laugher was from joy and not a way to mock someone. When they had started this thing he thought of her as a Disney princess...all beauty and grace with not a bit of common sense or fight. Now she was on her way to Xena; warrior princess.

"What about you sugar?"

Beth already knew that he would mock her for her choice, but she didn't care. "Princess Bride"

"Chick flick; shouda know."

"It's an awesome movie sir, you should really watch it. Shouldn't we get back to work?" He was not the only one who could change the subject. He nodded and they both got up and went back to practicing. She learned how to use his size and momentum against him. After a few hours it was time for lunch and she was capable of holding him off on her own. He was again impressed with her ability to learn and retain the training.

Everything was going nicely until Carl came in from the wall. Everyone sprung into action; grabbing weapons and heading out to the gate. It was Andrea; leading a restrained walker in front of her to keep the swarm of walker outside the gate at bay. Rick finally opened the gate and pulled her in and checked her for weapons. Once they got inside it was apparent that she was no longer a trusted member of this group. She had sided with the Governor and that was unacceptable.

Beth listened to the usual arguments. The governor can't be trusted under any circumstances. Followed by; we have to come to an understanding and learn to work together. She had heard it before and she was very tired of it all. They needed to make a choice while there was still a choice to be made. She had always like Andrea. After all she was the only one who didn't treat her like a child and allowed her to choose to live rather than forcing her to be under lockdown to "keep her safe".

Her curiosity was peeked about what it was that Michonne might say to poison the group against the governor, so she decided to ask. Beth quietly approached the woman and asked her straight. Michonne watched her for a moment; as if she was sizing her up. "He's a psychopath; pure and unadulterated evil. That's all there is to it. What happened to Glen was bad; but what happened to Maggie...that's who the governor really is. That is the kind of depraved individual we are talking about negotiating with." Beth suddenly felt ill. She was concerned that they were making all the wrong moves. Not really knowing what to do; she went to find her sister.

Maggie gave her a small smile as she walked over to her. She wrapped her arms around her sister and gave her a hug.

"What's on your mind?"

Beth thought for a moment, she was not sure what she wanted to know. Everything she heard about the governor made her want to run as far and as fast as they could. Mostly she wanted to pick her sisters brains; get a feel for what she thought about it.

"What do you think we should do? I mean it doesn't seem like we can trust anything the governor says; so that leaves out negotiations; we can't fight because he can out number us; and it would seem like we can't leave either. I just don't know what to think."

Maggie nodded slowly. "I think our only option is to fight. Even if it isn't not the best option. I need you to know that this could get very ugly. I'm glad you're learning to defend yourself because trust me; surrender is not an option. You fight like hell or run your ass off; but do not give up. Don't let them take you. Period." Maggie had put her hand on Beth's face. Beth had always known her sister to be headstrong and courageous; but the fear in Maggie's eyes was overwhelming. She never asked what had happened to Maggie when she and Glen were captured; but she knew her sister showed up wearing Glen's shirt. It was humiliating and degrading to say the least. She couldn't even imagine what he would have in store for them now.

Later that evening, she was considering what to sing for Judith and trying not think too much about their current situation. She began to rock the baby in her arms and began to sing the first song that came to her mind.

"Something has changed within me. Something is not the same. I'm threw with playing by the rules of someone else's game.

Too late for second guessing; too late to go back to sleep. It's time to trust my instincts; close my eyes and leap.

It's time to try defying gravity

I think I'll try defying gravity

Kiss me goodbye; I'm defying gravity

And you won't bring me down."

As Beth sang; she thought about the lyrics and how they applied to her. It was then that she made an important decisions. War with Woodberry was inevitable at this point, and that could mean that anyone she loved in this prison was facing a death sentence. She had been processing her feelings and decided to make a bold move. You only live once and in this world not for very long.


	5. Defying Gravity

**AN: Ok so thanks so much you guys for hanging with me. I now reward your diligence with a bit of Meth smut ;-). Now I want to preface this by saying that I have written smut before but I have always been to hesitant to post it. I REALLY want your feedback, but please be gentle. I think the best summary for this chapter comes from Muggleborn Princesa: Beth: YOLO; Merle: What? Also I took it for granted that everyone would know what the ASPH (pronounced as fab) test is. Its the aptitude test you have to take to enlist in any branch of the armed services. Your score determines if you can enlist in that particular branch and what types of job's you can be assigned to. The 97 was my husbands score (they practically started drooling) but he also found out that he is diabetic which disqualifies you from serving. Special thanks to Brazen Hussy and Athlete Girl for sticking with it and review so often! If you love Meth (wait...that came out wrong) then you must check out there fic's as well. Remember; those kitten's aren't going to save themselves!**

Merle was sitting on his cot. He was absent mindedly fiddling with his appendage trying to waste time. The scent of soap and vanilla caught his attention. It was soft, feminine and distinctively her. She stood outside his cell and slowly walked inside, leaning in the doorway. There was something different about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. She seemed determined, possessed with a fire of purpose. As much as he hated to admit it; she was just plain sexy. Beth stood quietly for a moment; waiting for him to respond to her presence. He stared at her for what felt like hours and leaned back against the wall.

"What can I do you for?" his signature smirk creping across his face.

She smiled back and glanced at the floor before responding. "I'm gonna sing after dinner tonight, just wanted you to know."

"Ok, well that's real nice and all; I don't see that it merits you coming down here just to tell me."

"I'm singing a song for you. Member the night that you picked a song for me; well I thought I ought to return the favor. I know you usually hide out in your room instead of joining the group for dinner. I was hoping you would be there to hear me sing."

"I've heard you sing quite a bit lately. Not that I'm complaining mind you; but I'm not sure that me trying to join in with the gang and be all like…pass the salt please is a good idea.'

"Well I don't give a damn what they think; I want you there." Without saying another word, she turned and walked away. Merle sat there contemplating the interaction as he stroked his face. That girl was a piece of work, for sure.

That night after dinner, they were sitting around the main room; the light from the kerosene lamps casting shadows over the gray walls. She smiled as she looked around the room. He didn't join them for dinner per say, but he did sit on the far side of the room by his brother. She saw him slink off, but she suspected he wasn't far. Her fist began taping a rhythm on her knee and she took a slow breath.

"They hung a sign outside our town; if you live it up you won't live it down."

As she continued her song she scanned the room. Nothing made her happier then to see a peace settle on the faces of the people she loved. Rick was leaning against the wall in-between her father and Daryl; little Judith snuggled in his arms. It was wonderful to see him spending more and more time with her lately. Glen and Maggie were wrapped in each other's arms on the stairs and Carol was sitting by her side on the floor. Even Michonne seemed calmer as her voice drifted around the room. She looked around; hoping that he would show. The next verse was her favorite and she wanted him to be here. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him slip into the room; again at the back away from the group. He leaned against the wall; arms crossed and watched her intently as she sang.

"Well he gave her a dime store watch and a ring made from a spoon.

Everyone's looking for someone to blame

When you share my bed, you share my name

Well go ahead and call the cop's

You don't meet nice girls in coffee shops

She said 'Baby I still love you'

Sometimes there's nothin' to do

Oh but you gotta hold on, hold on

Babe, you gotta hold on

And take my hand; I'm standing right here

You gotta hold on"

When she finished the song; she closed her eyes for a moment and imagined that they were all back at the farm house; before death had walked through the cool of her day. She briefly heard Rick telling Maggie and Glen that he was going on a run tomorrow. He was taking Michonne and Carl with him, which left Maggie and Glen on watch while she Carol and her dad took care of the day to day stuff. This would fit perfectly into her plans. After everyone had gone to bed, she went to her room and waited impatiently. Finally it was late and everyone was settled; she rose and quietly began to make her way through the dark corridors. In a vain effort to calm her nerves; she began to sing softly to herself.

"I'm threw accepting limits, cause someone says there so. Some things I cannot change; but till I try I'll never know.

Too long I've been afraid of losing love I guess I lost.

Well if that's love; it comes at much too high a cost."

She knew the way, but she was convinced that he would hear her heart beating well before she reached his room. The fact that the group did not trust him and had placed him as far away from the others as possible worked to her advantage. She only hoped that she wouldn't have a heart attack before she reached him.

He sat in his cell one leg propped up on the cot. There wasn't much point in trying to sleep; he hadn't gotten much of that at all lately. Tonight his thoughts were focused on a much more pleasant topic. He was thinking about Beth and her song just for him. He had never had anyone do anything just for him. He could pour on the charm when he wanted something; that much was certain. There was something about the way she treated him that made him want to be better. He was slowly coming to the realization that what he wanted was to be the man that Beth Green sees when she looks at him. At this point in time; he wouldn't recognize that man if he walked up and shook hands with him. As he contemplated this thought he suddenly realized that he smelled soap and vanilla. He turned toward the doorway of his room and almost fell off his cot. Her body was back lit by moonlight; and it turned her blond hair into spun gold. Her legs were long and lean; the only thing covering her sweet young body was his black button up shirt. The sleeves hung over her hands, and the bottom hem covered her to just above her knee. He began to wonder if he was having some elaborate fantasy; so he rubbed his eyes and slowly rose to his feet. Nope still there…well fuck.

Beth stood in the doorway of his cell, it had taken all her courage to get this far and she was at a loss for what to do next. He didn't say a word; just stood up and rubbed his eyes for a moment. His face was hard to read as he stood perfectly still for a moment. It was most likely just a few seconds, but to Beth it felt like forever. He planted his feet shoulder width apart and crossed his arms.

"Princess; whatever you was thinking is gonna happen aint. You need to turn yourself around and get back to bed."

Beth assumed she would meet resistance. "Don't act like you haven't thought about it."

Merle was taken aback by her response. The sweet wide eyed little woman he first met was nowhere to be found in this cell. He smiled despite himself. "Sugar I'm not sure when you last saw yourself in a mirror; but I'd have to be dead or a gold star queer to not want you. That's just basic male instinct. There's a whole big gap between wantin and doin."

"So your objections are something like; I'm too young, it would never work out, everyone else in the group will shoot me. Blah blah blah."

"I'd hope to be slightly more eloquent than blah blah blah; but yea...that's a real good start."

"Well what the group don't know won't hurt anyone, much less get you shot. I'm asking for a night, not a lifetime commitment so I'm not concerned about anything working out. As for me being too young; yes I am. I'm too young to have my undead mother shot in front of me; I'm too young to have my sister ripped from my hand and torn to pieces by walkers just feet from me. I'm too young to ne thinking that I might not live through tomorrow, but that is my life now. So I want to make every moment count. After all wasn't it you that said you only regret the things you didn't do?"

She was making sense and using his words against him. Damn if this didn't beat all. Merle was briefly struck by the irony that just about a year ago he would not have hesitated. She'd have been on her back and naked by now, but he was not that man anymore. These days he wasn't entirely sure who he was, but he was certain that he was not going to bed this girl. Not tonight, not ever. She was a lady and she deserved better that anything he had to offer.

"This ain't gonna happen darlin. Not now, not ever. You're scared and rightfully so, but that ain't no reason to do something that you'll regret. You need to just go back to bed and get some rest. I'm sure you'll feel different in the morning."

Beth's eyes narrowed to small slits, her anger painted on her face. "Oh really, so when I wake up tomorrow all the walkers will be gone? Or maybe you meant that the Governor will have a sudden change of heart and just decide to let us be? I guess I'm a little confused, perhaps you can explain to me exactly what will change about our situation by going to sleep."

Merle could no longer contain the smile on his face. She was determined, feisty and it was a serious turn on. He had to stay focused, she needed to understand why this was such a bad idea.

"Hon I'm not saying all your problems are going to magically disappear in the morning. I'm just saying you don't know what tomorrow has for ya. Yea, it might be that the Governor comes calling and all hell breaks loose here. Might be that Andrea convinces them folks who they threw there lot in with and they send his psycho ass packing. Don't decided that you're gonna do something cuz we're all gonna die so you might as well. Please you don't know what you're asking...just go." He moved towards her in an attempt to usher her out of his cell. She planted her feet and crossed her arms in defiance.

"I'm not asking because I think we are all doomed; I'm asking because I want this to be my choice. Ever since this outbreak started; I have been told what to do. Nothing in my life is my choosing anymore. My body...it's the last thing I have a say over. I want to make my own choice, while I still can. I want you; I want this...whatever it is. It's just that simple."

Merle shook his head. "But it ain't simple, not at all. Look I'm not saying everything is peachy; but what happens if this stuff with the Governor dose pan out? How do you think your gonna feel then?"

Beth placed her hands on his chest and began to slowly slide them up his torso. "I think I'll be concerned about the next threat, and then the one after that. If we aren't fighting the living, we are surviving the walker or searching for food and supplies." She wrapped her arms around his neck and stared him in the eyes. "If I die tomorrow or I live to be 80; I won't regret this, because I finally made a choice. I didn't just wait for life to push me in one direction or the other." With that she leaned on her tip toes and planted her lips softly to his.

That was all he could handle. Having her so close, he could feel ever inch of her pressed against him. He kissed her back prodding her lips open with his tongue and tasting her. She sighed into his mouth and he pulled her even tighter to him. Well, so much for being a gentleman. At least he gave it a try. She pulled away long enough to remove his wife beater, their bodies drawing together like magnets. Beth hooked her leg over his hip. He helped keep her balanced, her lower back supported by his right arm. He began stroking her leg with his hand and she felt like she might drown from the desire that was building inside her. She let her fingers graze down his chest and she began to undo his pants. At this point Merle was trying to figure out where exactly to go. Laying her on the tiny cot wouldn't work; he couldn't fit on the dumb thing anyway. There wasn't really any flat surface to use, so they would have to sit on the cot. It might be awkward, but it would work.

He guided her over to the cot and sat down; pulling her onto his lap. He took off her shirt (he had wonder where the hell that thing had gone to…sneaky woman) and pulled her to him. She moaned the moment there bodies touched. "You feel so good" she whispered in a breathy voice. He leaned in and began to ravish her neck and shoulders. All she could do was moan and gasp…the fire coursing through her body was overwhelming. Then suddenly, he put his mouth on her nipple. Instinct began to kick in and she leaned back, giving him easier access to her chest. Her hand grasped his head, fingers gently racking down his neck to encourage him. It was naughty, and delicious. Beth felt his hand begin to massage her bottom, he then began stroking her leg and inner thigh making her writhe against him. Finally he moved his hand in-between her legs and began to stroke her most intimate parts. She gasped, and began to chew her lip. It felt amazing, but it was so personal. She was woefully inexperienced and part of her wanted to stop. He was grazing his teeth across her nipple, causing her to whimper. When he slid a finger inside her, she very nearly jumped off the cot. It felt so foreign but it was also like heaven. Slowly she relaxed into it and found that her hips were rolling forward, thrusting against his finger. He added a second and then he changed the pace. She cried out and began to thrust her hips faster and harder…willing herself to some unknown finish line. Merle knew she was close, so he took his thumb and began to message her clit. She was breathing heavy and her moans were increasing. She instinctively placed her hands on the wall behind his head and shuddered as she collapsed into her first orgasm. She rested her head on his shoulder and tried in vain to catch her breath.

"Beth"

She raised her head to look him in the eye. It was the first she could recall that he called her by her name.

"Listen, I know what you wanted, but I still got you to the finish line. There is no shame in leaving right now. You can just go back to you room and call it a good night."

Beth didn't answer; she just smiled; shook her head and reached her hand down between his legs. She kept her hand flat and gently rubbed up and down the length of him. He let his head fall back as he moaned. Her hand was soft and warm; it was like nothing he had ever felt. He placed his hand over hers and wrapped it around himself. She understood what he wanted and began to stroke him. He closed his eyes; allowing the sensation of her stroking him off to wash over him. He knew that she would have to stop soon or this party would be over. He moved her hand and positioned her body over his. She slowly lowered herself until he was able slid the tip of his member into her.

Merle pulled her down onto his lap. The pain registered on her face immediately. She placed her palms into his chest trying to get back up.

"Shhh…I know darlin I know. Just relax and let your body adjust. It'll be alright I promise."

She certainly did not feel like it would be alright. She took some deep breaths and willed her muscles to relax. Feeling a bit more comfortable, she began to raise her body just a bit. She raised her body more the second time and the feeling of him leaving and reentering her body was exquisite. Soon they had set a steady rhythm and she felt that need for release growing inside her again.

"Ok princess; I want you to move your hands to my knees and lean back as far as you can. Yea just like that."

Beth was awash in a haze of pleasure. "Oh God…Oh, Oh yes."

She was barley aware of what she was saying…at this point she was pretty sure that she couldn't tell you her own name. All she knew was the need this man was building inside her. There was nothing in the world but the two of them. Everything else just faded into black. That's when she fell over the edge again. He groaned softly and she felt him relax beneath her. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you."


	6. The Morning After

**AN: As always; I love you guys! You keep me going at it :-) I feel I owe an apology to one of my reviewer that felt Beth was too sophisticated because I said that she would be more fragile and girly in the next few chapters. Well cerebral Beth refuses to go down with out a fight, so she ended up being brainer than I initially intended. I really like exploring the relationship between Carol and Beth as well. I think I might go a bit deeper with this and I might even dabble in some Caryl...which I don't really ship. Thoughts?**

Beth woke the next day felling a smug sense of satisfaction. She knew she had made the right decision. She desperately wanted to stay in his room, to sleep with his arms wrapped around her; but that would never do. After they cleaned up a bit and got redressed; he placed the mattress on the floor and they just laid there. She dozed off listening to the sound of his steady heartbeat. Sadly, he had to wake her up and send her back to her room so she could change before anyone else got up. She tried lying down on her cot for a cat nap; but she was too excited to sleep. She just kept replaying every moment in her head. Finally she decided to just get up and check in on Judith. It was early, just before dawn, but little Judith was awake. She wasn't fussy just yet, but Beth could never resist the chance to hold her. Reaching into the crib, she picked up the squirmy bundle and began to gently rock her back to sleep. Judith was rubbing her little fists in her eyes, but she was not going down without a fight. She began to fuss so Beth decided to sing to get her back in line. She scanned the songs that she like but had not put on her list yet; however nothing was standing out. Then she remembered an old country song playing on the radio of their pick-up truck while she and her mother sang along.

"There'll be no strings to bind your hands; not if my love can't bind your heart.

There's no need to take a stand, for it was I who chose to start.

I see no need to take me home; I'm old enough to face the dawn

Just call me Angel of the morning; Angel

Just touch my cheek before you leave me; Baby

Just call me Angel of the morning; Angel

Then slowly turn away from me"

It struck Beth as funny, how she would never have related to this song before. She would just sing along with no thought to the meaning behind the words. What a difference a day makes.

"Maybe the sun's light will be dim, and it won't matter anyhow

If morning's echo says we've sinned; well it was what I wanted now

And if we're victims of the night; I won't be blinded by the light.

Just call me Angel of the morning; Angel

Just touch my cheek before you leave me; Baby

Just call me Angel of the morning; Angel

Then slowly turn away; I won't beg you to stay with me

Through the tears…of the day…or the years

Baby"

She repeated the course a few times and placed the now sleeping baby in her crib. Yes that song was definitely going on her list.

"Thought it was my morning see about Judith."

Beth turned to see Carol smiling at her from the door way of the room.

Beth smiled; she and Carol had become close while sharing so much of the "household" duties. "I was restless, so I figured I'd get up and see about her. You know how it is."

Carol nodded, but she had a curious look in her eyes.

"That I do; Beth sweetheart is everything ok?"

Beth looked perplexed, "Uh yea, I mean all things considered. Why do you ask?"

"Oh I don't know; call it mother's intuition but you just seem different lately. I just wanted to make sure you were good."

She froze for a moment and wonder if somehow Carol knew. No, that was crazy. Besides, she would have told her father or sister; wouldn't she? Yes, Beth decided that she was just being paranoid.

"No, it's the same old same old. Don't know what to tell ya."

Carol eyed her suspiciously. "Ok; Say that song is pretty old. I would figure it was before your time."

Beth shrugged "I'm not sure when it first came out, but me and mama would sing along to it on the radio."

Carol nodded, but her eyes never left Beth. "Song about a one night stand. It just seems a strange choice; since you have this knack for finding the perfect song to fit the mood."

Now Beth was starting to get nervous. Carol had a way of seeing through people that was unnerving. "Um, I don't know. I never gave much thought to the lyrics; just thinking about my mom I guess."

Carol looked like she was going to say something else and then she just nodded. "Yea, I guess that makes sense"

Beth took the opportunity to get the heck out of Dodge. She was not certain what brought on Carol's inquisition; but she was sure she wanted no part of it." Ok, well I'm gonna get going. Lots of stuff to do."

Carol lightly grabbed her arm as she was leaving. "I just want you to know that if you need to talk to me about anything; anything at all. I'm always her for you."

Beth nodded. She really cared for Carol, but this was something she was not ready to share yet. "Thanks Carol; I appreciate your friendship so much."

Carol smiled at her and walked toward Judith's crib. Beth was a little sad she was not able to share her excitement yet; but she knew how everyone felt about him. Carol was willing to give him some benefit of the doubt; but mostly for Daryl's sake more than anything else.

Beth decided to hurry through her chores today; she wanted to get in some more one on one time with Merle. If it was self-defense or other things…well she would leave that up to him.

Merle was trying to silence the voices in his head. The inner dialogue was giving him a headache. One voice insisted that he was only giving the girl what she asked for, and really after all he had been through wasn't he entitled to a little happiness? The other voice in his head insisted that a best he was a creep that was taking advantage of a young and impressionable girl, and at worst he was a straight up pedophile. Realistically he decided that he was no pedo. After all she was eighteen; even if she was inexperienced. However, he was having a considerable amount of difficulty discerning where the line was between creep and…well what was he exactly? How in the hell do you define this relationship? Dose it even qualify as a relationship? Ugh, now his brain was starting to pound again. He shook his head for a moment and decided that it wasn't worth fussing about. He was happy and as long as she was too; what else really mattered? Yea, he was gonna stop over thinking this before his brain started to bleed.

He was already done with the chores that he was "allowed" to do. It was infuriating that he was limited like this. I mean really; what did they think he was gonna do? I was a bit flattering in a way that they felt he could somehow sabotage them single handed (pun intended). Hey if Merle was going to be an ass to everyone else; he certainly wasn't going let himself off the hook. As these thoughts swirled around his head, found that he was already at his cell. When he walked in, he noticed a note lying on his bunk. It was a piece of plan white paper with the words "Snow Day" handwritten in lovely feminine letters. There was no doubt who left him the note, the only question was what in the heck did it mean? He grinned to himself; guess there was only one way he was gonna find out.

Beth had just finished feeding Judith. Carol was taking care of lunch for everyone else so after Judith was settled in for her afternoon nap; Beth lounged on the cot in Judith's room. Exhaustion from staying up most of the night had finally caught up with her. She closed her eyes and was drifting off to sleep, certain that her dreams would be pleasant for a change.

Merle didn't have an excuse for going to Judith's room, but he was fairly certain that Beth would be there. Carol was playing mother hen again and ensuring that everyone got lunch, so she would be busy for awhile. When he walked into the room he had to smile. He was forever calling her princess, and there she was laid out like Sleeping Beauty. Walking over to her; he pulled up the scratchy blanket over her and lightly brushed some stray hairs from her face. She mumbled and shifted a bit, but it was clear that she was sleeping soundly. He turned to leave her, when he heard the baby beginning to fuss. He walked over to the edge of the crib and looked down on her. She was looking back at him with large blue eyes.

"Hey now little bit, you need to go right back to sleep. I know you were expecting someone a whole lot prettier that old Merle; but my princess needs her beauty sleep. So let's just settle back in and get some shut eye, ok. Judith's brow began to furrow. She was not ok with this new set up and was not afraid to show it.

"Oh no no no; none of that now. Come on sweetheart work with me."

He reached into the crib and carefully maneuvered her to the crook of his right arm. He gently patted her tummy with his left hand and began to rock her in his arms. At first, Judith began to shut her eyes and doze off; but Merle had no inclination of how stubborn she could be. She soon began to curl her tiny fingers into her dark hair and proceeded to pull her own hair to stay awake. She began to fuss and cry which sent Merle into a panic. His options were to go get Carol and explain why he was in that part of the prison to begin with; or wake up Beth, who really needed to rest. As his mind began to spin, he realized that he was absentmindedly humming. This seemed to quite the child, but she would still shout a protest cry here and there. That's when he remembered Beth singing to her. She wanted someone to sing her back to sleep, but boy did she choose the wrong joker. He glanced over at the cot; Beth was still sound asleep so he figured that he would at least try to sing to the baby before giving up. His mind raced; what to sing to the little fuss bucket? Well there were only a few songs he knew the words to and could sing on key.

"Well little ass kicker...I hope you like it cuz this is all I got."

"There aint no grave, can hold my body down

There aint no grave can hold my body down

When I hear that trumpet sound; I'm gonna rise right outta the ground

Aint no grave can hold my body down"

Judith's facial features began to relax and she quickly placed her thumb into her mouth and began to suck enthusiastically. Well at least she aint squawking no more Merle thought as he continued.

"Well look way down the river; and what do you think I see

N' what do you think I see? I see a band of angels and there commin' after me.

Aint no grave can hold my body down

Aint no grave can hold my body down

Well look down yonder Gabriel; put your feet on the land and sea.

But, Gabriel don't you blow your trumpet, till you hear from me

There aint no grave can hold my body down

Aint no grave can hold my body down

As he continued to sing, Judith's eyes began to droop and soon she was breathing at a slow steady pace. Merle didn't want to take any chances so he continued to serenade the baby as he walked over to her crib to put her back down.

"Well meet me Jesus meet me

Meet me in the middle of the air

And if these wings don't fail me, I won't meet you anywhere

Aint no grave can hold my body down

There aint no grave can hold my body down"

Beth was having a wonderful dream when she thought she heard Judith cry. Beth and developed a bit of mother's intuition when it came to Judith and just a simple whimper from the baby could rouse Beth from a coma. She opened her eyes and look to Judith's crib, shocked to see Merle rocking the baby in his arms. Just as she was going to offer to take over, she heard him singing. It was Johnny Cash, and his deep southern twang mixed with the low tone and gravel his voice had naturally made it the sexiest thing she had ever heard. She tried to stay very still, just to make sure he would continue to sing. Once he finished the course right before the last verse, he had successfully returned Judith to her crib, so he stopped. It was just so wrong to leave a song unfinished like that...especially a classic like Aint No Grave. So she decided to join and see if she could coax him into finishing the song with her.

Merle was looking down into the crib with satisfaction. He was able to get the little tike to go back to sleep after all. That's when he heard her voice behind him. He turned and watched her as she stood off the cot, smiling at him like a damn Cheshire cat. She nodded at him and gave him the "come on" motion with her hand as she sang. She actually wanted to sing _with_ him. Well he had already conceded that there was very little that she could want that he would not give her.

"Well meet me mother and father

Meet me down the river road

And mama you know that I'll be there, when I check in my load."

To humor her he joined in on the chorus

"Aint no grave can hold my body down

There anit no grave can hold my body down

There aint no grave can hold my body down."

Beth giggled. "You never told me you can sing."

Merle shook his head, "Princess that's cuz I don't lie to ya."

"No, you're too modest; that was...really good."

Merle was aware of the look in her eyes when she spoke. His little ditty had got her engine revved up. For a moment, he considered grabbing her by her tiny waste and having his way with her; but she still must be tired. How else could you explain her getting all hot and bothered by listening to him sing?

"Darlin I do believe that is the first time anyone has accused me of being modest."

"Well then I'm glad I was your first." Beth blushed furiously even as she said it.

Merle raised an eyebrow at her comment and began to revisit his original idea when they heard approaching footsteps.

"You should get some rest princess; I'll catch up to ya latter and we can have a discussion about snow days."

Beth smiled from ear to ear. She nodded and yawned as she curled back onto the cot. Carol was on her way with lunch, but Beth could always grab something later. One of the benefits of being on kitchen duty is that you know where the good stuff is hiding.

Carol found Beth in the kitchen. She had thrown together lunch and was now munching on a few cookies from there "secret stash". Beth looked up at Carol and quickly covered her mouth with her hand while she finished eating.

"Hey; I got hungry so I just helped myself. Hope you don't mind."

"Of course not."

Carol made her way over to Beth and sat across from her. She took a deep breath and looked the young woman in the eye.

"Beth honey; I know about you and Merle."

Beth nearly choked on her last bit of cookie, the color quickly draining from her face. "But how?"

Carol smiled, but never broke eye contact with her. "One night, I went to check on Judith and I heard you singing. I wanted to get closer because I do love listening to your voice. That's when I saw the two of you dancing. I was going to say something, but Daryl is trying so hard to keep him here. Losing him the first time was bad; I really didn't want to go through that again. I decided to watch you two, see if everything was on the up and up. Everything seemed to be pretty innocent, until this morning. See, with all this excitement you must have forgotten that I wash all the sheets on Monday mornings. Your bed was still made, you never slept in it. I wasn't all that concerned about it until I got to Merle's room. You did a pretty good clean up job, but blood stains are hard to get out."

Beth was horrified. She wanted to melt into the chair that was beneath her. Carol was her friend and Beth was really ashamed that she had kept this from her. Carol was the last person she wanted to disappoint or hurt. That explained the conversation from this morning. Carol was trying to get Beth to confide in her, and she had failed.

"I'm so sorry Carol. I never meant to deceive you; I was just afraid of how everyone would react."

"Well you should be. I mean I was willing to get him a bit of leeway; but this is just wrong. Honey I know your young, but you are so smart. You have to know that this is a bad idea. No good can come from this."

Beth thought for a moment. She wanted to choose her words carful before answering. "Carol; I know you don't get it. If I'm really honest, I don't either. I guess I like that he tries to be a good man when he's with me, and I try to be a grown woman when I'm with him. Everyone sees me as young, weak, damaged. Merle just sees me; not "Bethy", not Hershel's daughter, not Maggie's baby sister...just me. It's nice to be seen sometimes. You know."

Carol nodded. "Yes I do. However I learned the hard way about tying yourself to the wrong man. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Beth gave her a weak smile. "I know. Given all we've been through; I'd say it's a bit late to worry about me getting hurt. I know you don't trust Merle; but I'm certain he would never hurt me on purpose. I don't think I can expect much more, but it's enough. I'm not blind and I know he's not Prince Charming; but he might just be Beast. I'd really like the chance to find out for myself. I hate to ask, but can you please keep this between us?"

Carol sighed. " You are a grow woman, and you deserve to make your own mistakes."

Beth was glad for her co-operation, but it did irk her slightly that Carol just assumed that this was going to go south. Oh well that was the best reaction she could expect, and thankfully it did not involve Merle being sent away or losing any other body parts.


	7. Snow Day

**AN: Sorry guys! I got to the end of what I had written and then I was distracted by going to Frightmare in Dallas. Sadly; Norman Reedus canceled at the last minute. However; I still had a blast and Chandler Riggs is a sweet heart. I hope you enjoy this light smattering of Meth smut (it's the Diet Coke of smut...just one calorie...not smutty enough) So moving on...I have to give credit for Merles little heartwarming story to Pat83's beautiful little one shot called Birthday Present. You should read it but have tissue nearby...just saying. Thanks again and keep saving those kittens...come on guys, who doesn't love kittens? **

They finally got to sneak away later that day. It was before dinner and Carol was already supposed to watch Judith as Beth had the late watch again. They had agreed to meet up in his room as no one would bother them there. He had thought to do all manner of dirty things to her; but they just put the mattress on the floor, curled up and talked. Beth started the whole thing by explaining that she claimed this as a snow day because they was something special about snow days. Anything can happen on a snow day; and that makes them magical. Merle was amused by this but decided to play along. This lead to yet another round of quid pro quo.

Merle decided to tease her a bit with his first question.

"What is most unbelievable lie you ever got away with?"

Beth looked at him with her blue eyes wide as saucers.

"What kind of question is that?"

Merle grinned, this might actually be interesting.

"The kind you have to answer princess, so let's hear it."

Beth sighed and her brow furrowed as if she was deep in thought, then suddenly she blushed and smiled.

She shook her head; "I don't know; it's really embarrassing."

"Oh, now you HAVE to tell me. Come on girly; you stuck to it so far...no one likes a quitter."

Beth smiled as she relented.

"Ok. Oh my gosh I can't believe I'm telling this story. So; my sister was visiting from college and she got back while the rest of us was at church. She decided to go for a ride, so she left her stuff down stairs in the living room. When we got back, I decided to help her out by taking her stuff up to her room and unpack it for her. Well; Beth suppressed her giggles to finish, as I was putting stuff away, I found her birth control pills. I just...I don't know I freaked out. I guess I was thinking that she was gonna go to hell for having sex or something; so I decided that I would stop her."

Merle raised an eyebrow, yes this was definitely gonna be worth it.

Beth continued to hold back her giggles to continue her story.

"So...I get this idea that if she doesn't have the pills; she won't have sex and she won't offend God and burn in hell. I take those pills down to the duck pond and go to chunk them in when Maggie comes ridding up. I chunk them anyway and she is hot. She starts yelling at me and I'm yelling back. We got so loud that my brother comes running out thinking that someone is hurt or drowning. He figures out what is going on by the argument we were having and he bust out in this crazy loud laugh. Well; he laughed so loud that he spooked Maggie's horse and she reared up which splashed mud all over everyone. Now keep in mind that I am in my Sunday dress complete with patent leather mary jane's and I'm now covered in mud and muck. At this point my daddy comes out of the house. He marches down to us and immediately starts with 'What in the world is going on here?' Before my brother or Maggie have a chance to speak up I look him right in the eye and I say 'Nothing daddy; we was just swimming."

Merle howl's with laughter.

"Oh my, I can just picture it now. The little princess all dressed up in her Sunday finest, covered in mud and duck shit. All the while just standing there batting your pretty little lashes and telling him you was swimming. Ooh that is good darling that is real good. So what did you pop's say to all this?"

"He looked us over and said 'I don't know what is going on here and I no longer care to know. Everyone get yourselves up to the house and I don't want to hear a word about this. So we all went back to the house and got cleaned up. Maggie still read me the riot act later, but she was pretty amused that I was the one that lied to daddy. She would look over at me, snicker and say just swimming. It was kind of an inside joke with us for a long time."

Beth regarded Merle for a moment and decided to ask him the same question. She was certain that he had told any number of lies in his day; but asking him about the most outrageous one that he actually got away with sounded like a good way to get him to open up.

Merle thought for a moment. He had a story in mind but much like Beth he was hesitant to share it. Not because he was embarrassed or ashamed; but because it was also deeply personal. Well she hadn't held back for him and he knew instinctively that he could trust her with anything.

"My brother is 10 years younger than me. Guess my folks thought fucking up one kids life was just not enough so why not have another? Well, I was the one that took care of him you see. He looked to me if he needed to have something for school or if he was getting his little ass kicked by some playground bully. I tried to make him tough, you know make sure he could fend for his self and such; but anything I could get him or do for him special like...well I tried real hard to do. Daryl's birthday was coming up, he was about to be 8 and the only thing he wanted in the world was a bicycle. Well I was working, but every penny I made went into my I'm getting the hell outa her fund. I knew that he wasn't getting anything from mama as she was glued to her bottle and he would be lucky to avoid dad all together.

Dad was sleeping it off in the bedroom and mom was hitting her bottle and hiding new bruises that morning. Daryl came into the kitchen and made himself breakfast while I was getting ready to head out with my so called friends. He look up at me from his bowl of fruit loops and said 'Merle, do you think imma get a bike for my birthday?' I said 'I think you'll get a swift kick in the ass if wake up pop's' He hung his little head and I don't know what come over me. Daryl, he never asked for much o anything. You know he just hung back in the shadows and did what he's told to do. I just couldn't stomach the thought of him going without. I told him to give me an hour and I'd be back.

I drove over to the nice side of town. There was this little prick Daryl's age name of Leroy Jenkins. He was one of them silver spoon mother fuckers that never was satisfied with all the shit they had. Always looking for that new cool thing that will make them the fucking shit; you know the type. So, I find this pricks house and sure enough there are several bikes in the garage. One of them is this new racing monstrosity that has all the bells and whistles. However, discarded in the back was this red and black classic Schwinn bicycle. So, I wait till they are distracted and I nab the Schwinn. I drove back over to the house and haul it outa my truck. Daryl is so excited he nearly passed out from jumping up and down. He gets on and after a few tumbles, he is off and ridding. Well; it just so happens that he rides past Officer Smith, who is good friends with Mr. Jenkins. He knows we aint got the money for no bike; so he gives Mr. Jenkins a call. After he confirms that the Schwinn is gone, they both head out to our house. Officer Smith gets out and I know I'm busted. Just as they start in on me; Daryl rides up in the driveway.

He walks the bike up beside me and he was always a bright kid, so he figured out fast what was going on. I think about reading them the riot act and telling them where they could get bent and how to get there; but looking at those sad blue eyes; I just couldn't do it. I knew that if I popped off; they throw me in jail and I was not about to leave him on his birthday with tweetle dee and tweedle dumb. I start by admitting what I done and then I ask to please explain why I did it. They both agree and so I proceed to explain that it's Daryl's birthday and all but that aint getting me a whole lotta sympathy. I considered telling them that his only present would be some fresh bruises from dear old dad, but I figured they wouldn't believe me. So I motioned them to move closer and proceed to tell them; with a straight face mind you; that we also found out that Daryl has leukemia. I stole the bike because I was worried that this might be his last birthday and we went able to afford to buy him the one thing he wanted.

As these two jack off's are looking me over; trying to decided if they buy this story or not; Daryl pipes up with this week little cough. I didn't even know that little monkey was listening. They both look down at him. He was small; especially next to me and him wearing hand me down clothes that were always too big didn't help. They took one look at that scrawny sucker and that was it. Officer Smith said there was no harm done as they were reclaiming the bike and they went on their way. Not only that; but I'll be a son of a bitch if Mrs. Jenkins didn't bring over homemade chocolate cupcakes for his birthday."

Beth scrunched her forehead

"Wait, they believed that Daryl is dying; they know he wants a bike that is sitting in their garage collecting dust; and they bring him...cupcakes?"

Merle shrugged.

"I was just happy to avoid jail time; the cupcakes was just a nice little bonus. Not everyone is as magnanimous as you are princess."

Beth regarded for a moment. She smiled this wonderfully sultry smile and began to tease him.

"Magnanimous huh; using them big high dollar words on me. Are you trying to impress me with your huge...vocabulary?"

"Oh darling you just wait; imma show you just how huge my vocabulary is."

With that he began to tickle her sides; and even one handed she found it difficult to squirm out of his grasp. He finally pinned both her hands over her head and held her there for a moment. Her face was flush and her eyes wide from there playing, he could feel the heat from her body and he was suddenly aware of how close their bodies were. He leaned down and kissed her lips. She opened her mouth for him and sighed as he began to explore her mouth with his tongue. As the kisses became more demanding, she shifted beneath him and wrapped her legs around his waist. He began to grind against as he trailed kissed down her neck. She began to moan and arch her back upward...begging him to continue moving south with each kiss. Soon he was lavishing his attention on her pretty breasts. She wasn't wearing a bra and he was more than able to lift a shirt using nothing but his mouth. She continued to moan and writhe as he worked his way from left to right. Beth began to mutter

"Merle please...let me just...ummm...wait wait."

He was trying not to laugh. She was really Snow White when it came to sex.

"What is it princess?"

Beth got loose of his grip and began to sit up a bit.

"I just...let me get this.."

She pulled her shirt over her head and began to undo her shorts. Merle shook his head, she couldn't even ask him to undress her. That's when the thought came to him.

"Princess, you remember when you said that snow days were like magic cuz anything could happen?"

"Yes" It was obvious by the look on her face that she was confused.

"Well; he began to trail kisses down her torso to her abdomen; I think you are on to something here. So I tell you what. I will do one thing you ask me to. It can be anything, but no matter what I have to do it. The same thing goes for you. What do you say to that?"

Beth's eyes were almost rolling into the back of her head. He had begun to kiss and lick her right above her lower hair line. She was certain that her body would spontaneously explode at any moment. At that point, she would have agreed to almost anything...which is what Merle was counting on.

"Yes, yes...just please..."

"Whatever you say darlin." With that, he settled in between her legs and ravished her until she cried out his name.


	8. Meanwhileback at the Prison

**AN: Sorry for the delay, but I rewrote this chapter almost completely because I hated the original draft. I like this one better and I have decided that some Carly will be included, but just a hint. Thanks again for your support and for those of you that love the Meth smut…I promise more of that is to come. PLEASE REVIEW…even if it's just, hey good job. I use all the feedback I get to shape the story and to keep me motivated. So please tell me how I'm doing…**

Merle had been in a foul mood all day long. Rick had left out early that morning with Daryl and Hershel in tow to meet with the Governor and it was making him angry. At first, he complained but he figured that he would not be allowed a voice. Then, after it was decided who would go he was even more irate. He just got his brother back and now they were going to put him directly in the line of fire...really? He tried to let it go, I mean after all he knew better than anyone how the governor loved to play mind games. Maybe he would make some ridiculous offer or another to see how Rick would react and everyone would just go there marry way for now. Yea, that seemed likely. However, as the time crept by, he got more concerned that his brother was walking straight into a firing squad. He stood outside the cell and watched as they scurried about like little rats. No, not rats...any self respecting rat would have abandoned ship before now. More like empty headed squirrels frantically storing up there nuts.

"What we should be doing, is loading some of this fire power in a truck and paying a visit to the Governor. We know where he is right now."

Glen spoke up "Are you suggesting that we just go in and kill him?"

"Yea, I am."

"We told Rick and Daryl that we'd stay put." Michonne put emphasis on his brother's name to remind him why he was allowed to stay here and hopefully encourage him to tow the line.

"I've changed my mind sweetheart. Being on the sidelines with my brother out there; aint sitting right with me."

Glen spoke up again. "The three of them are right in the middle of it. No idea we are coming. They could get taken hostage or killed. A thousand things could go wrong."

"And they will." Merle didn't see any reason to sugar coat the situation.

Carl glared at him "My dad can take care of himself."

"Sorry son, but your dad's head could be on a pike real soon."

Maggie shook her head. "Don't say that to him."

"It's not the right move. Not now. Can't take the risk of putting them in the cross fire. That's my decision and its final."

Merle gritted his teeth and held his tongue. That jumped up little china man was really starting to piss him off. He waited till Glen left and stood there leaning in the doorway. The longer he stood and thought about it...the angrier he got. His teeth were grinding together until finally he decided that he would just go it alone. He walked over to the table and began to toss guns and ammunition into the bag. He heard the door close but did not pay it any mind.

"Hey, you're not going."

"I don't need permission."

"I can't let you."

Merle snorted; what the hell did that little Bruce Lee wanna be think he could do about it?

"You can't stop me."

Maggie spoke up this time. "If you're gonna live here, it's gonna be on our terms. If Michonne can do it why can't you?"

"Cuz it's my brother out there; that's why. What's the matter with yall?"

His fear for his brother's safety had turned to rage. He was going…fuck them all.

He walked to the door and Glen refused to move. The next thing he knew they were tumbling down the stairs and he was pinning Glen to the concrete floor while trying to stab him in the head with his knife hand. Maggie jumped on his back and put him in a choke hold but he was like a raging bull. Michonne got a hold of his right arm and he still fought. That's when the shot rang out. Everyone looked across the table to Beth whose arm was still raised over her head. She was holding the revolver in her hand, standing there like a statue with a look of cold distain painted on her face. After that, Glen was able to shove Merle's hand off his face. He was still enraged and began to shout at them to let him go. After a brief moment of awkward silence; everyone went back to what they were doing. Merle stormed off to his cell. He began kicking stuff and cursing to himself. This was retarded; these people had the perfect opportunity to end this shit and everyone was too much of a pussy to go for it. It wasn't too long before he heard the sound of boots on the floor. He didn't have to turn around to know that she was standing there.

"Darlin I'm sure you mean well but I don't really feel like company right now."

"No; I don't expect you would." Beth's voice was low and cold. He turned around and meet her glare. She stood there unmoving, arms crossed. He did not have time for this crap. He didn't feel the need to justify himself to her or anyone.

"I anit apologizing to that prick. This is the best chance we got to end this mess and everyone here is too stupid to see it. I know better than anyone what that man is capable of and it's my brother out there."

"And my father. Only difference is that your brother is a crack shot with his cross bow, he's fast and tough. If the shit hits the fan, he can run. Hid out in the woods, make his way back her on foot. My daddy is old and on crutches. What do you figure will happen to him if this thing goes south?"

Merle sighed. "All the more reason for us to go."

"So your brilliant idea to convince them that you're right is to try to leave on your own and start a fight with Glen in the process."

"It's my brother, that's all I'm thinking about."

"Like I said, you have to start thinking it through. If you're gonna stay here, you have to work with everyone. Not only did you come off looking like a jerk; you got into a fist fight with Glen. He is the one person you should be working to get along with the most. I mean really Merle. What did you accomplish besides getting some bruises for your trouble?"

"You need to wake up princess. This is reality; and the longer we allow the governor to live, the better chance he has at taking us all out."

"On that we agree."

Merle started to argue with her; when he suddenly realized that she was agreeing with him. He looked her over; trying to figure her out.

"Well if you agree with me; why not speak up?"

"Oh yea, because whenever there is a problem or some kind of major decision to be made; they always consult me. On a good day, I'm a hard working member of this group that contributes as she can. On a bad day; I'm a glorified babysitter. It's not your solution that is the problem; it's your approach. You aren't going to win over Glen or Maggie no matter how much since you make. Carol and Carl are not going to waver from what Rick told them to do."

"Well that's just peachy. So it's back to me doing this thing on my own."

Beth held up a hand. "Not necessarily; see if you go alone you only add fuel to Glen's arguments for kicking you out of the prison. However, if you're weighing forgiveness vs permission; forgiveness is far more likely. I believe your best option is to take one ally. That means there is someone else involved so you can't shoulder all the blame; and it increases your chances of success."

Merle watched her for a moment. She was much smarter than the group would give her credit for.

"Sounds reasonable; but you did just eliminate everyone that I could take with me. Unless you're volunteering."

Beth smiled. "Not hardly; I'm nowhere near ready for that. If you think for a moment; I believe that you will see I did not eliminate everyone."

Merle thought for a moment and then scoffed. "You must be kidding."

"Think about it, she is the one person who wants him dead as much as you do. She is skilled enough to back you up; the two of you together is the most logical way to get the job done."

"Maybe you're forgetting that I was sent to kill her. I promise that she aint forgot it."

"She may not like you, but she respects your skill. Just like you respect hers."

He shook his head. "I just love having these talks with you. I find out so much about myself that I didn't know."

"You can be a smart ass if you want; but you know I'm right. She is the only person you made an apology to and you were sent to kill her but she lived. I get the impression that if you want something dead; it dies. Yet here she is."

"I'm sorry is this psyco babble bullshit going anywhere?"

"My advice; calm the fuck down and talk to Michonne. If she says no; wait it out like the rest of us. You can take it or leave it."

Merle crossed his arms, the girl made a valid argument. "Well I suppose that is as good a plan as any. After all; if I go alone, even if it goes perfectly they might kick me out just for breaking the rules and putting everyone in danger. I sure would miss my little brother."

Beth's eyes narrowed. She knew he said it just to annoy her, and it was working. She walked up and kissed him. Soft and sweet at first, then she got aggressive sucking on his bottom lip. She released him from the kiss and backed away.

"Next time you want a kiss, you should go find you baby brother. Since you'd miss him so much and all." She walked out of his cell and back to her chores. He had to laugh to himself. She was something else that was for sure. He headed out of his cell as well; apparently he needed to have a conversation with one Katina welding ninja warrior.

…..

Beth made her way to the kitchen to help out Carol. When she entered, she noticed the tension around Carol's eyes. With all the commotion, Beth didn't stop to think how this must be affecting her. It was no secret that Carol had feelings for Daryl and Beth saw the heartbreak that Carol suffered when Daryl choose to go with Merle. As strong as she had become, Beth wasn't sure that Carol would survive loosing Daryl again. Yet there he was, in the danger zone again.

"Hey there; what can I do to help?"

Carol gave her a week smile. "Not much left to do, but you can help me serve. I got a feeling we are all too nervous to eat together." She glanced at Beth for a moment and then spoke. "Any luck with trying to talk sense into Merle?"

Beth still got flush anytime Carol brought him up. It was odd that Carol knew such intimate information about her; but she had kept her word. What more could Beth ask?

"I think so, he's calmed down at least. How about you, how are you holding up?"

"Oh, I worry of course, but I'm sure that they will be fine. It's just the waiting that stinks."

"I know you're concerned for the group, but I was talking about Daryl."

Carol froze for a moment, her eyes fluttered as she thought of what to say. "I'm worried about everyone. I mean Daryl and I are close, but there isn't anything going on."

"But you wish there was."

Carol's jaw dropped slightly. This was not the conversation she envisioned having with Beth.

"I really don't think that is something we should be taking about."

Beth shrugged. "I'm not trying to embarrass you; but you do know all my secrets." Beth reached her hand out to Carol.

She took Beth's hand and shook her head. "I know it's silly. To think that there could ever be anything between us. It's just; he did so much for me and Sophia. I always want him to feel respected; to feel loved. I don't think he's had a lot of genuine affection in his life and it's the one thing I have to offer. I just don't see him being able to accept it from me or maybe anyone."

"I think that's really bittersweet and kind of beautiful Carol. I will say I think you shouldn't give up. After all the dead are walking around eating people; stranger things have happened."

Carol laughed; it was good to see her mood lighten. "You may be right. Well I guess we should start passing this food around. Grab a couple of bowls and meet me back here."

Beth was pleased to see her friend in better spirits. Then an idea hit her. "Hey Carol; when Daryl gets back you should ask him about his miraculous recovery from leukemia."

Carol scrunched her forehead in confusion. "Ok…whatever that means."

Beth smiled to herself at the memory of Merle's story. She knew things were bleak at the moment, but her heart was full of hope. At least for now.


	9. This Means War

**AN: Sorry for the slowed pace, but I'm approaching the end and I really want to get it right. I should re-warn you…I said I'm trying to keep to the TV cannon and I mean it. So I think you all realize what that means. Anyway…thanks again to all my loyal followers. I appreciate you all more then you know. More light Caryl and Meth smut on the way…enjoy and PLEASE review. It really makes a world of difference to us writers.**

Carol had washed the same cup three times. Her mind was a million miles away and she silently prayed that he was ok. She certainly wanted all of them to make it back safe, but him most of all. Beth smiled at her and took the cup from her hand. Carol sighed and moved on to the next cup, she was just about to get lost in her own thoughts again when she heard the distinctive sound of a motorcycle approaching. Unable to stop herself; she ran down to great them. She and Carl opened the gate, quickly shutting it behind the entering vehicles. Daryl pulled in first with Hershel parking close behind. Carol walked towards the bike and nodded in Daryl's direction. He looked up and retuned her nod. Merle came up beside him.

"Well at least you brought the bike back in one pieces." He knelt down beside her and ran his hand across her tank. She had been his baby, and he would miss being able to take her out on the open road.

"So, how did our little meeting fair?"

Daryl leaned against the wall, unconsciously chewing on his thumbnail. Merle was always tempted to smack him on the back of his skull whenever Daryl did that.

"Don't know; Rick aint said yet."

"Well it don't matter really; we already know what's coming."

"Yea"

Daryl nodded to the left, so Merle followed. They went farther into the yard and Daryl pulled the pack of cigarettes he took off the walker out of his pocket. He offered one to Merle and pull out one for himself. They lit up and stood there for a moment, just two brothers catching a smoke.

"Rick will be calling us together for a meeting in a minute. I'm sure he'll let us know what's up then."

Merle chuckled "Don't need no meeting to let me know what's going down. Shoulda come out and taken care of business while we had the chance."

Daryl smirked "I half expected to see you show up; guns blazing."

"I would have, but you little chink buddy wouldn't hear it."

Daryl's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

Now Merle was pissed. I mean it was one thing for him to be all up Ricks ass; but now he was going to take the side of that little punk over his own damn brother.

"I tried to set them straight. What the hell we really doing here bro. We should have stayed out on the road and took our chances. Now we stuck in this box with this bunch of fruit loops."

Daryl set his jaw. "It can't be like that no more. That us against the world bullshit aint gonna cut it. We have to stick together man, these people risk their lives for each other."

"These people let a perfect opportunity to solve our problem go. If they was ignorant of the danger or just naive enough to have some faith in this little peace summit I would just write it off as being fucking dumb. But no; they get it. The danger is more than clear to them. Their reason for saying no is cuz officer friendly says no. They will blindly follow that man into the gates of hell; and I don't know about you brother; but I'm wanting off this crazy train."

"Aint that a little like the pot calling the kettle black?"

Merle had heard all he cared to. That was the last fucking straw.

"If you will recall baby brother; this pot was trying not to bleed to death because he had to cut his own fucking hand off thanks to fu manchu and the great and powerful Rick Grimes. It was called surviving, and yes I did what I had to. So you just go right ahead and cozy up to all these nice civilized folks; put on a kettle and make a cup of fuckin' tea. At the end of the day; I know who you are. Don't act like you'd of done any different." Merle stomped back into the prison.

"Show's what you know Merle. I'm my own man, and Earl Gray is fuckin awesome."

Daryl sighed as he finished the last few drags off his cigarette and went inside. There was no point in talking to Merle now, better to let things cool off. Rick had gathered the rest of the group to talk. Daryl stood next to Carol while Merle leaned against the wall by Glen and Maggie. Yep, Merle was gonna make him pay for that. They all stood silently while Rick advised them that there was no reasoning with the governor; he wanted them dead. After he was done taking, everyone went there separate ways. Before heading up the stairs, Daryl looked back at his brother. He nodded in Merle's direction. Merle returned his nod, they had never needed words to communicate, Daryl was checking to ensure that Merle was still with them, and Merle assured Daryl that he was. Daryl headed up the stairs without a second glance.

Merle noticed that Michonne was off on her own, Carol had returned to her busy work, Glen and Maggie went off somewhere and Hershel had followed Rick outside. He saw the fear in Beth's eyes and he was overwhelmed with the need to comfort her. It didn't take long for him to find her in her room, holding the few simple belonging that she had saved from the farmhouse. She was already crying when he walked in the door. She wiped her eyes and placed her things in a bag, certain that they would be forced to leave this place. She looked up at him with a weak smile.

"Man I wish Michonne had listened to you."

He smiled back "You and me both darlin, you and me both."

"Well, I'm not sure what our next move will be, but I don't see us staying here, so I'm just getting a head start."

He sat down on the bed next to her and ran the back of his hand over her arm. She reached up and held his hand for a moment, then she wrapped her arms around his chest and curled up next to him. He held her for a while before pulling her away. Tensions were high enough without someone walking up on the two of them. He kissed the top of her head and got up to leave.

"Merle; can I come see you tonight?"

He turned and smiled as he spoke over his shoulder. "As you wish."

She grinned from ear to ear. Today had been nothing but stress, and she was looking forward to spending the evening with Merle. She needed to focus on something besides survival and there impending conflict with the governor. Suddenly she remembered that 'as you wish' was from Princess Bride. Every time Wesley said that to Buttercup; what he was really saying was 'I love you'. Her heart leapt into her throat. No, she thought, that's silly. I'm sure he was teasing or it was just a weird coincidence. She decided to finish packing anything that she didn't immediately need or use on a regular basis. If they decided to leave or had to flee she wanted to be prepared.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

Carol was finally able to finish the dishes that she started that morning. She put the last cup away and wondered what they would do to get through this mess. They were survivors and she could only hope that they could weather this storm.

"Need any help?"

She smiled to herself; somehow she knew that he would come to see about her.

"Thanks for the offer but everything is done for now."

She turned to find him sitting on the table, so she sat next to him. Neither of them spoke, but that was fine as they were both ok with silence.

"You alright."

Carol nodded at the floor. "Yea. I mean I'm scared, but I'm sure we can figure something out. We have to right?"

Daryl nodded. "Yea, I knew it would come to this. Just a matter of time I guess."

Carol was desperate to change topics, so she decided to go with Beth's little tidbit. She had to admit the comment had intrigued her.

"So, I was told that I should ask you about your miraculous recovery from leukemia."

Daryl's brow furrowed as he tried to make the connection. Then suddenly, his eyes softened and he smiled the most beautiful smile Carol had ever seen.

"It was my 8th birthday and I really wanted a bike. Merle knew that I wasn't getting anything, much less a bike, so he stole one for me. When the cops showed up, he told them he stole it cuz I had leukemia and it might be my last birthday ever. They dropped the charges and took the bike back to its owner. Funny thing is; that was my best birthday ever."

Carol laughed. "That is very sweet in a backwards kind of way."

"That's Merle for ya. I just wish yall could see more of that side of him. I know he's a hot mess; but there is good there too. You just gotta wade through the bullshit to find it."

They both stood up from the table as Carol spoke."You don't have to convince me. I would never push for Merle to leave while you are here to keep him in check. I still think he's not good for you, but it doesn't really matter what I think."

Daryl lightly grabbed her wrist and she look up. Her eyes were locked with his and she felt her heat skip a beat.

"Matters to me."

She was frozen to the spot. Time seemed to come to a standstill as stared into his blue eyes. She took a small step towards him. He remained still, his hand still holding her wrist. Some kind of odd spell had settled over Carol and she found herself leaning towards him, willing him to come closer. All the feelings that had been hinted at were just about to be expressed in an actual kiss; when Judith began to cry. Daryl broke eye contact and looked to her room. When he turned back, he was suddenly very aware of how close his body was to Carol's. He pulled his hand back from her wrist and stared at his feet.

"I should go, got lots of stuff needs to be done."

Carol brushed her hands against her pants and nodded.

"Sure; I should go check on Judith"

Daryl turned back as he was leaving the room. "Don't worry about the governor. Nothing gonna happen to us; we got this."

Somehow Carol knew that Daryl was saying 'don't worry; I won't let anything happen to you.' That was all the reassurance she needed.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

That evening, Beth slipped silently through the cell block till she got to his room. She walked in and found him sitting on the bed leaned casually against the wall. She smiled as she walked into the room. He watched her approach, never moving. In the back of her mind, Beth wondered if this is how a deer might feel once Merle had locked in on his target. She held out her hand to him and he took it. He got up from the cot and guided her to an area of the prison that was new to her. In his efforts to find a 'vacation'; Merle had discovered something useful. He found the wardens office. He slipped her into the room and silently closed the door behind him. Beth looked around the room and smiled. It was fairly simple, a solid wooden desk, a large office chair and some nice chairs placed in front of the desk. He had a few bookshelves and some of those cliché motivational posters hung on the wall. Merle took the liberty of placing a lantern on the top of a bookshelf earlier that evening. It was dim enough to not be noticed from the outside, but cast enough light to navigate the room without tripping over furniture or stubbing a toe. Beth turned back to Merle.

"This is nice; when did you find it?"

"Oh, not too long ago. Figured I'd save it for a rainy day. Looks pretty rainy to me."

"Yea, I'll say."

Merle walked up to Beth and picked her up by the waist. He set her on the desk and began to kiss her. She kissed him back and soon her kisses became more demanding. He leaned into her ear to speak. The rasp of his voice and his deep southern accent made each word pull on her body like he was playing a guitar.

"Princess; do you recall your little snow day bargain?"

"Mmm hmm" was all she could manage to say.

"Here's the deal. Your gonna tell me what you want me to do to you. I anit just talking general terms either. Your gonna be real specific and your gonna use ever word you were ever taught not to say. You got it?"

Beth was suddenly nervous. She wasn't sure if she could pull this off.

"Umm, I don't know about this."

"Well Princess, you got two choices. You can play along, or you can go back to your room and call it a night."

Beth sighed, she definitely did not want to go back to her room. She would just have to give it a try.

"Umm...I'm not sure how to start."

"Start with whatever you want."

Beth thought for a moment and then decided to start with something basic.

"Ok, I want you to kiss me, on my lips."

Merle gave her a quick, closed mouth kiss on the lips. Beth huffed in frustration.

"Merle"

"Nope, this is how it works. I told you to be specific. Now that means you have to tell me what to do and how to do it. Now you can modify any request; he again leaned in so he was whispering into her ear; faster, slower, harder...but you will be specific or you won't get what you want."

She could feel the desire burning her from the inside out. All she really wanted was for him to take her and do all the things to her that he had done before, but Merle was going to have it his way or no way.

"Kiss me, opened mouth, with tongue."

This time he kiss her fully. Capturing her mouth and teasing her with his tongue. She began to moan into his kisses, but she wanted more. She pulled back for just a moment. "Kiss me down my neck."

Again Merle did as she asked and when he got to that tender spot where her neck and shoulders meet, she pressed her fingers into the back of his neck and without thinking asked him to "suck on my neck."

He began to nibble and suck on her neck to the point her was sure she would be bruised in the morning, but he didn't care. Beth could feel herself falling over the edge, she was already moaning and they had just barley started. She removed her shirt and he waited for her command. She hesitated for a moment, hoping he would just continue where he had left off, but it was obvious at this point he meant to take this little game of his all the way.

"I...I want you to...take off your shirt."

He did as she asked and waited for her next inquisition. It was at this point that Beth realized that she could do whatever she wanted to do to him as well. The thought excited her, but she was still unsure of what to do. She tried to recall there first night together and everything that they did. She removed her shoes and her pants, but decided to leave her underwear on for now. She repositioned herself on the desk, placing her legs under her body and propping herself up on her knees.

"Come here"

He walked to her and she wrapped her arms around his chest, pulling bodies together. She gasped as she was overcome by the feel of skin on skin. She began to nip and kiss his neck like he had just done to her. She worked her way up to his ear and nibbled and licked his ear. Her efforts were rewarded when she felt him dig his fingers into her lower back in a vain effort to pull her closer to him. At this point she doubted that you could squeeze a dime between them. She racked her fingernails down his chest while continuing to assault his neck. He crushed his lips to hers; the heat between them was so tangible that she was certain they would set off the fire alarm.

"I thought I had to tell you what to do."

Merle gave her a wicked smile. He drank in her body with his eyes. "I said that you had to tell me what you want me to do; I never said that was all I was gonna do to ya."

Beth kissed him back, emboldened by the overwhelming desire that was taking over. She leaned into his ear 'I need your mouth on my breast"

Without hesitation, he latched onto her nipple. She cried out much louder then she had intended, but the fingernail grasp she had on her self-control was waning. She shifted again so that she was able to wrap her legs around his waist. As he began to graze her nipple with his teeth, Beth began to grind her hips against his pelvis. She loved what he was doing but she needed more.

"Merle"

"Yes princess"

"I...I want you to touch me."

There were no words to describe how incredibly hot Merle found that statement to be. He was all too aware of what she was asking for, but he was gonna make her sweat first.

Merle leaned into her body and placed his face as close to hers as he could. Her breath was shallow, she was right there...ready to go and it took all his will power not to fuck her into oblivion on that desk right this moment.

"Sugar, I think you forgot the rules again." He stared into her eyes, waiting for her to say the word.

Beth swallowed hard. She took a deep breath and decided that she had come too far to back out now. She could say the words; they are just words after all.

"I want you...want you to...finger my pussy."

Merle cocked an eyebrow, he finally got her to say something a bit dirty, but he was nowhere near done yet. He slipped his hand into her tiny pink panties and began to tease her with his fingers.

"Well darlin that was much better; but I'd sure hate to disappoint ya. I think what you really mean ta say is 'Merle, I want you to make me cum on your fingers.' Is that what you meant princess?"

He was stroking her clit with his thumb and running his middle finger along her slit. Any sense of self control was now lost to her. She arched against him and moaned.

"Yes, yes. I want you to make me cum on your fingers...please yes."

That was all the encouragement he needed. He began to kiss her neck while his fingers sent her into ecstasy. She lost all abandon and cried out as her body clenched around his fingers.

She was gasping for air, still high from the desire that he had released inside her like a wildfire. When she made eye contact with him, she was equally terrified and excited. He was staring at her in a way that made her feel like he would eat her alive.

"So your rules allow for suggestions, right?"

Merle chuckled "Well, I did set a precedent I suppose. Yes, suggestions are allowed."

"Then I want you to give me a suggestion; you wouldn't want me to be disappointed would you?"

"Well I would suggest that you climb off that desk and turn your sweet little ass towards me."

Beth did as he suggested. "Take off my underwear."

"Thought you'd never ask"

He slowly pulled her panties down over her bottom. He began to kiss and nibble her cheeks. She moaned and placed her hands on the desk. Slowly dragging the tiny cloth down her legs, he licked and kissed her as he went. Finally, they were on the floor and he was back to focusing his attention on her ass. He pulled her legs apart, and grabbed her cheek with his hand.

"Damn girl, I have ta say, I have seen some fine ladies in my time; but your tight little heart shaped ass has them all beat by a country mile. Now you will have to ask for what you like; (he leaned over her and spoke into her ear) but I'm willing to bet you'd like it if I smacked this sweet little ass you got."

Beth was getting nervous. She was never one for pain and she never understood the appeal of getting spanked. It hurts, how could that be enjoyable. However she had trusted him this far, and he had made her dizzy with pleasure. She decided that she was just gonna go for it.

"I want you to spank me."

He gave a low and menacing chuckle that made her want to reconsider. He rubbed his hand on her left cheek and she thought she would go insane waiting on him. Suddenly he pulled his hand away and brought it back with a solid smack. Her body tensed, it stung where his hand made contact, but she found her desire building all the same. He gave her another smack, this one made her cry out, but she still didn't want him to stop. He began to slap her ass with a steady rhythm and force. She was actually starting to anticipate the next hit, it was sexy and dirty and she couldn't stop herself. He flipped his hand around and began to slap her right cheek. She was moaning and trying to claw at the desk. She wanted him so badly, it was blinding.

"Merle"

"Yes darling"

"I need you...need you inside me."

Merle licked his lips, he was just barely holding on, but he wanted to finish what he started.

"You know I'm gonna need more specifics. I think you can do better."

Beth groaned in protest. Her irritation got the best of her and she looked at him from over her shoulder. "I want your cock in my pussy."

"Better"

He quickly undressed and stood behind her. He grabbed her hips and grinded into for a bit, making her squeak.

"Merle, now"

"Yes mamm."

He filled her from behind. She almost screamed, it was the most erotic thing she'd ever felt. He continued to pound into her body, making her feel that she would lose her sanity at any moment. Oh she was close...so so close when she realized what she wanted to take her over the edge. He had only done it once before, but rules were rules.

"Merle, say my name."

He was desperate to get her to the finish line, as he was not certain he would last. Her request hit him like a sledge hammer. He would have to comply, but damn if the very thought didn't cut him to the core.

"Beth"

At that she let go. She screamed into the wooden desk and Merle was ever thankful that this room had a real door and was so separate from the rest of the prison. He felt his own release and his knees buckled slightly. They stayed very still, both trying to catch their respective breath.

"Hey Merle"

"Yes darlin"

"This was a great idea."

Merle laughed and kissed her shoulder. "I guess it was. I do have an intelligent thought ever now and again."

They both laughed and just enjoyed the moment. Simple moments of joy were all that anyone had to live for anymore. They got dressed in silence and walked back to his bunk. Without a word, Merle placed both mattresses on the floor and laid on one, patting the other. Beth smiled and snuggled next to him. She wouldn't be able to stay the whole night, but even an hour lying in his arms was work more than gold to her.


	10. The Trade Off

**A/N: First of all let me say I'm so thrilled with your response. Your support keeps me going. Also, do you recall how I said that I wanted your input and that it can change how I direct the story? Well I was not kidding. I got quite a few post asking me to please not kill Merle (trust me; he was headed for the grave). So after racking my brain for an alternative; Merle will now get a reprieve. It's kinda like a stay of execution from the governor (pun intended). Anywho; I hope you like the new direction that I'm going; it's gonna be a challenge, but I'm up for it. BTW…there was a guest that asked some interesting questions…I believe you are catching on to a later plot point *wink*. So...PLEASE let me know what you think, it can change the direction of my story. Plus you have the self-satisfaction of knowing you saved the life of an innocent kitten *meow***

Merle sat on the floor of the cell ripping apart his third mattress. He was trying to deal with his new situation as best he could, but it was not going well. He felt alienated from his brother; the one person he had come to this hell hole for. Also, there was Beth. God help him. He wanted to do right by her, be the person she believed him to be; but he was all too aware that it was a lie. He was haunted by the things he did in the name of self-preservation. Oh he could keep up the facade for a while, but eventually he would screw up. He would lose his temper and say something horrid that he couldn't take back. Maybe she would find out that he was a murderer and leave. If, by some miracle she did stay and he managed to keep it together there was the issue of everyone else. Beth was a sweet young woman and running around behind everyone's backs would not work forever. Once the rest of the group found out, that would be the end of it. He did not want to hurt her, but he wasn't able to pull himself away. She was a black hole that would lead to his destruction, but he was already caught up in her gravity. There was no escape. He was just going to have to find his own escape; and that meant scoring some meth. This was a prison after all; so there had to be some good stuff hidden in her somewhere.

"What are you doing?"

Merle glanced over his shoulder to see Rick standing in the door way looking down on him; as always.

"Oh, just looking for a little vacation. Some o the best stuff I ever had came from a mattress."

"The governor wants to trade; he'll leave us be for Michonne."

Merle raised an eyebrow, this was an interesting turn of events.

"You know he anit just gonna kill her. He's gonna take her out piece by piece." Rick did not respond, which just confirmed that he was aware of what the Governor would do. "Well you just as cold as ice officer friendly."

Rick ignored that statement and continued. "No one can know about this, so far it's just me, Hershel and Daryl that are involved."

"Well I'm honored to be invited into your inner circle; but what you want is someone to do the dirty work,"

"Are you gonna help or not?

Merle thought for a moment. Yea, this could work. If all goes wrong he would just end up dead. At this point that might be the best option.

"You're gonna need wire, not rope or anything she can chew through." And with that he began to plan how to get Michonne out of the prison and deliver her up to the Governor.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW DTWD

Beth woke up that morning feeling better then she had in a while. Things were not great, but she was sure that they would make it somehow. In a strange way, Merle had given her the one thing that she hadn't realized she was missing. He had given her hope. How different she would have felt had she know how the day would go. Things were quiet, so she decided to find Merle. She went looking for him and as she approached his cell, she heard voices. It wasn't that she was trying to listen in, the prison was no exactly sound proof, but she heard it none the less. She decided to wait until Rick left and she headed over to talk to him.

"Hi there." She stood quietly in the doorway.

Merle sighed, this was the last thing he needed.

"Hello yourself; I'm guessing that you heard all that."

Beth nodded. "You know you can't do this."

"Darling, this is the only move we got. We have to do this."

"NO we really don't. If we hand over Michonne, we are no better than him. Please tell me you won't do this."

Merle shook his head. He would have to choose his words carefully.

"Rick won't go through with it no how. He aint got the stomach for that sort o thang. Don't go worrying you're pretty little head over it."

She stood for a moment and watched him. It was then that she realized that he was going to go through with it no matter what. Beth walked away and started toward her room, she was not sure what to think or feel. Part of her felt foolish for thinking that he could change; but there was also a part of her that realized what he was planning on doing was really more about a misplaced desire to protect his brother and the group. She reached her room and laid down on her bed her face was already wet with tears.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW DTWD

Merle was focused on driving; trying to shut out all the conflicting voices in his head. He knew that this was their best chance, but it didn't feel right. All the shit he did for the governor, his anger over the shift in his relationship with Daryl, the feelings he was trying to deny even existed for Beth; it was all swirling around in his mind.

"You don't have to do this you know." Michonne's voice broke through his muddied thoughts. Merle refused to answer.

"We can turn around right now, we can just go back."

It was such a simple statement, and there was some truth there. The option was still on the table for him to turn back to the prison. Oh sure he'd catch hell, but he could still show that he was not the monster they believed him to be. Merle knew that would never work. He simply didn't belong there. He never really did. Beth was collateral damage; and he would break her heart one way or the other. However; he might be able to do something for his brother and Beth after all. His kneejerk reaction pretty much summed up the hopelessness that he felt over his current situation.

"I can't; don't you get it! I can't"

He cut her loose as quickly as he was able.

"I got something I gotta take care of alone."

He drove off quickly before he could change his mind. He only prayed that he would be able to take out the Governor and make his efforts mean something.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Beth took a hand gun and a large knife with her. She took a deep breath and steeled herself before descending into the tombs. Walking slowly, her senses were hyperactive, every shadow making her jump. Rounding a corner, she noticed a walker ambling in her direction. Beth stood her ground and waited for the walker to come close enough for her to kill. With a strong thrust, she shoved her knife into the walker's temple. Before she had a chance to pull her knife free; she felt clammy fingers wrap around her wrist. She suppressed the scream that was spring loaded at the back of her throat. She fought to get away, when her training came into play and she twisted her hand so that her thumb was pointed away from the creature and she pulled down and away. The walker stumbled backwards before lunging for her again. Quickly she pulled her knife from the gooey remains. As it came for her she slammed the knife into the walker's eye. The walker collapsed onto her; leaking a rancid pool of gore down her chest and shoulders. Shoving the corps aside, Beth began to vomit. She finally calmed her stomach and took long slow breath through her mouth and out her nose to avoid the smell that was threatening to make her dry heave. Once she had composed herself she began to walk. Taking one small step at a time, she continued down the corridor. She was following the drag marks and trying to keep an eye out for any stray walkers, but so far she only had the one run in. Gaining confidence, she rounded the corner and walked into a small crowd of walkers. She immediately froze, as they approached, the walkers did not seem to pay her any mind. She was initially confused, but then she remembered the walkers ignoring Michonne while she walked up to the gate of the prison. Michonne was covered in walker gore, so Beth now realized that she smelled like them, like death. It made her stomach crawl, but it was keeping her alive…so she couldn't complain. Slowly, she shuffled down the hall, hoping to pass the small group and continue. She navigated through the maze without any more issues. Once she reached the outer wall and was able to look out she was able to see two small figures far into the woods. Her plan was to stop him before he was too far from the prison. Now she had two options; she could just go back inside and let it play out or she could try to follow them and get close enough to stop them. Well, never let it be said that Beth Green is a quitter.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW DTWD

Carol was checking all of Beth's usual haunts, but she was nowhere to be found. It was not like Beth to forget when it was her turn to watch Judith, but she had been preoccupied lately. She began to get concerned and decided to employ Daryl's help. He was talking to Rick when she approached.

"Hey guys, not trying to interrupt, but I can't find Beth. I thought that she might be training with Merle. Have you seen either of them today?"

Rick and Daryl exchanged knowing looks and Daryl responded. "Yea, I got an idea."

The guys went to a make shift tool room where she knew that Merle spent a lot of down time tinkering. Daryl walked over to a far corner where there were drag marks and some wire on the ground. Daryl looked back to Rick.

"He's gone through with it."

Rick shook his head. "There's nothing to do now but wait."

Carol was confused, so Daryl let her in on the plan. The color drained from her face.

"Oh dear God; I think Beth found out and went after him to stop him. I haven't seen her all day. The two of them have become close since he's been training her and all. Oh I hope I'm just over reacting."

Daryl began to scan the room and softly cursed under his breath.

Carol froze and shook her head vehemently. "No please no."

Daryl looked up at Rick and pointed to what he found. "Cowboy boots…No one else wears them here."

Rick put his hands to his face. "God in heaven; Hershel will never forgive us."

Daryl lost no time grabbing his gear and heading out. "I'll bring her back; I got this."

He stopped to pick up a few things and headed out to find his brother and Beth; hopefully both of them would be alive and well once he got to them.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW DTWD

Beth was trying her hardest to follow them, but she was certain they would head for the road. She was smart enough to navigate to the road and she looked for signs of Merle and Michonne to see which direction they went. They were not trying to hid their tracks, so it wasn't too difficult for her to spot. They were nowhere in sight, but she was certain they could not be too far ahead. She tried walking faster to gain some ground; after all how fast could he move when he had a woman as dangerous as Michonne captive. Her hopes were almost dished completely when she noticed the blue car like a dot in the distance, but the walkers were still focused on the car, which allowed her to check for keys in the remaining vehicles. She was able to find an old beetle and luck was on her side as it turned over for her. She headed out to follow, but she was not entirely sure that she would find him at all. She had never been to this meeting place and she wasn't sure she could find it. She kept driving, whispering fervent prayers as she continued on her way when she noticed a large open field with abandoned buildings surrounding it. She carefully pulled in and decided to get out and continue on foot.

Once she exited the car; she began to make her way to the buildings. It was quiet and she was starting to doubt that she was in the right place when she noticed the governors men. Staying low and moving very slowly, she tried to get as close to the group as she could. She could hear voices, but they were still too far away for her to understand what was being said. The silence was broken by the sound of a radio blaring music. Beth was as curious as the governors men and she crept around behind them to see what was going on. As she moved closer, she was able to see the large herd of walkers that had followed the noise as well. The governors men began to fire on the walkers when she noticed that they were being shot at as well. Smiling to herself, she now understood what was happening. The only problem she could see was how in the world was he getting out of here. Fear griped her heart as she realized that he was never planning on returning, this was a suicide mission. In a panic, Beth tries to find where he is shooting from. As she scans the crowd of men being fired on, the governor points to one of the buildings. Staying low and moving as fast as she dared, she makes her way to that building. She can hear the fight before she is able to see anything. She slips into the back and makes her way toward the fight. She drew her pistol and started breathing slowly, hoping to remember all of her training. She could see two men holding someone on the ground and another was standing in front of them. He must be the governor as he was sporting a black leather eyepatch. She heard Merles voice carry through the building.

"I aint begging ya."

The governor pulled out his hand gun and pointed it where she assumed Merle was being held down. Without thinking about her safety, the fact that she would alert the governors men and any stray walkers to her location, or any other consequence, she fired at the governor. The governor looked right at her and she was frozen. She could almost feel the hatred and venom radiate off him like heat waves off the pavement in the summer. Beth was certain that she was going to be caught and killed when the man on Merle's left dropped to the ground with an arrow protruding from his chest. Merle seized the opportunity and shoved the man that was holding him into the governor. He grabbed the gun from the dead guy and turned to open fire, but by this time chaos and set in and most of the remaining men were headed for the vehicles outside. Beth realized she needed to move fast. Obviously Daryl was here and maybe Michonne, but that would not hold off the men remaining if they regroup. She ran out the back and continued to stay low, desperately searching for Daryl or Merle. She noticed a flash of lime green in the distance and made a bee line for it. That could only be Daryl's arrows. She ran with a focus, which was unfortunate as she did not notice the governor running up behind her; that is until he had her around the waist with the barrel of his gun pressed to her temple.


	11. Prisonor

**AN: Dum dum dum...yep I left you on a cliff hanger. I'm a jerk I know. I should warn you it gets pretty dark from here, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks again for sticking with me and as always Reviews are love :-)**

Daryl was crouched in the field, trying to avoid the walkers and get to the building were the fight was taking place. As he got closer he could hear his brother shouting. He was close, but he didn't have a clean shot at the governor. That was when the shot rang out. Daryl watched the governor's arm jerk back as he starred into the back of the building. He did have a bead on the guy to Merle's right, so he fired. True to form, Merle used the confusion to get free and headed out the front. The moment he was out the door he started making his way to Daryl. He reloaded and kept an eye out for anyone trying to get in a shot. It was at that moment that Daryl heard the Governor's voice.

"Gentlemen, I suggest that you stand down."

"Fuck"

Daryl heard Merle as he turned to face the voice. He repeated his brother's response the moment he saw the Governor standing about 30 plus yards away; with his arm around Beth's waste and a gun to her head.

"Now, I'm not known for being patient; so I suggest you put up your hands and come on out."

Merle sighed; "Ain't gonna happen."

Daryl shot him a look, but Merle just held up his hand.

"Really, cuz it'd be a crying shame to kill such a sweet young thing. Of course I could just shot her in the chest and let her turn. Then you'd have to finish the job. That could be interesting. What do you think sweetheart?"

"We could come out and let you kill us before you kill the girl. Or we could stay here and let you off your only shield. You can maybe stop one of us from taking you out, but not both. So the questions is what do you want?"

The governor chuckled. "Why Merle; have you become so heartless as to let this little thing die to save your own hide?"

"I could give two shits about that little blond. If you kill her just know that it's your grave too. I anit gonna raise my hands and give up hopping that you'll just let her go. Them folks at the prison might fall for that crock o shit; but I anit buying."

Daryl had been nervous about what Merle was up to until now. He realized that the governor would kill them and Beth if they gave up. He was trying to get the governor to attempt a trade. It was risky, but it was the best option they had at the moment. It was also the only one that would keep everyone alive, for now.

"You raise an interesting proposition. Tell you what boys. I'm gonna head back to Woodbury and take this little sweetheart with me. You head on back to your prison and let them know that should anyone feel the need for a preemptive strike; she will be the first causality. I'm sure I'll be over for a visit real soon. You can expect I'll be delivering my terms at that time."

After he spoke, he began to slowly back away with Beth in tow. He started making his way toward where the trucks were parked. Daryl and Merle were helpless to do anything but watch and make sure she was still ok as he shoved her into the tuck. Martinez and company piled in behind and they started up the engine and drove off. Merle and Daryl quickly made their way to the blue car, picking off the remaining walkers and driving towards the prison as fast as the little car would go.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

Beth didn't remember the drive back to Woodbury. She sat as still as a mouse and tried her best to be invisible. Taking a deep breath, she was certain that these past several days had been prepping her for this. She had done several things that she had wanted to do without regret and she had saved Merle's life. He was better for the survival of the group as he is military trained an excellent fighter, and a good shot. She whispered a prayer for her father and sister, as she knew they would take her death hard, but honestly in this world the best you could hope for is a death that mattered. She was frightened, but ready to face her fate.

Once they arrived; she was blindfolded and lead around until she was thrown into a room. Once inside her blindfold was removed and she was able to get acclimated. She was in a room that was about the size of her bedroom on the farm. There was a table in the center of the room with a few chairs scattered about. It was slightly reassuring that she was in what look to be a meeting room and not some torture chamber. Her hands were zip tied behind her back, but lucky for her that was not a problem. One of the many tricks Merle had told her about was getting out of zip tie restraints. She raised her arms toward her shoulders and brought them back down hard across her backside. The plastic cord snapped easily and she was free. Rubbing her wrists, she started taking inventory of everything that might be useful in this room. Over all, it was pretty sparse. Just four wooden chairs, the rectangular table and the creepy hanging lights. She was at a loss as what to do now, so she sat in one of the chairs and waited. Soon enough she heard the door slide open.

Philip walked down the hallway to where the girl was being held. He knew enough about the key players at the prison to figure out that this was Hershels youngest daughter. She was the other girls sister, but they looked completely different. This one had long curly blond hair and vibrant blue eyes. She was just a slip of a girl, but there was something familiar about her still. She was sitting quietly in the chair; looking very unassuming. Philip did not fail to notice that she was no longer restrained. He also now noticed the state of her clothes. He wouldn't be doing any negotiations with her looking like she had nearly bleed to death.

"Come on; let's go."

Beth stared up at him a moment and then obediently got up and followed him. He took her up to his room; it was the only one he could keep her from being seen. He handed her a towel and directed her to the shower.

"Leave those clothes on the floor, they need to be burned. I'll have something set out for you. "

She nodded dutifully, and made her way to the shower. Turning on the water, she allowed herself to relish the feel of hot water on her skin. It had been a good long time since she had enjoyed a real shower. After she was clean, she turned off the water and wrapped up in her towel. Stepping tentatively back into the room, she noticed some clothes on the back of a chair. She put them on and examined herself in the mirror. The jeans were her size and fit just right; the top was for a buster woman and was loose but it still fit. She slipped her cowboy boots back on and started looking around. Spotting a comb on the dresser, she began to brush her hair out. There was a hair clip next to the comb, so she pulled her hair up in a twist with a bit of hair hanging out the top in a short ponytail. Checking the mirror, she nodded in approval; yep she cleaned up pretty good. All that was left was to wait.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW DTWD

Merle sat alone in the main room taking apart the same gun for the sixth time. He was beside himself that she had been captured. He knew all too well what that man was capable of. Everyone tried to stay calm and hope that he would try to use her as a bargaining chip. At least then they would have a shot at him and he would have to come to them. Rick advised everyone on his plan to make the prison appear to be abandoned and rig the tombs to be a mini death trap. That combined with specific people placed in strategic locations to fire on the invaders as they ran from the tombs was there best option in catching the governor off guard should he try a full on attack. Everyone else was packing up the prison, but it only took Merle a few minutes to get his things together, so he was trying his best not to think about her.

Maggie walked in and tried once again to kill him using only her eyes. He could feel the hatred rolling off her like steam off a boiling pot of water.

"Rick is gathering us in the tombs to set the booby traps."

Merle looked up at her and nodded. "All right."

Maggie continued to glair at him while he moved to follow her.

"You got something to say?"

She didn't move or answer. She just continued to stair.

"Come on girl, aint got all day. Either say it or get moving."

Maggie took a long slow breath and crossed her arms over her chest. "Did you sleep with my sister?"

Merle silently walked away from her towards the yard. Maggie followed and yell out behind him. "Hey, I asked you a question and by God you will answer me. Don't you walk away from me Dixon."

Merle continued to walk away with Maggie on his heels. Once they were outside, he turned to face her. She stopped and waited for his answer.

"Well?"

"I anit gonnna lie or make up some excuse. Yea, I did sleep with your sister."

Maggie's eyes went dark. Her face morphed into some kind of human animal hybrid as she lunged for him. Merle braced himself for the impact. She immediately began hitting him with her fists. She clip him on the chin and got in a few good shots to his kidneys. He was going to feel this tomorrow. She began to kick him as well, but she slowed down once she realized that he was not fighting back. He was barely trying to block her.

Merle spoke through gritted teeth. "Come on girl; get it out of your system."

"How could you; How could you! She is a baby. Your sick. The worst of it is this is all your fault. Now she is with that monster." Tears began to slid down her cheeks. "God know what he's doing to her right now. I just can't..." She tried to finish her rant, but her anger was gone and now she was sobbing. Merle was unsure of what to do. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I know you hate me; but not half so much as I hate myself. I'd do anything to save her, to make it right."

Maggie sank to her knees and looked up at him. "She loves you. I hope you get that. I knew she was acting strange, but I didn't really get what was going on until she left to stop you. Are you just playing with her; is she just a distraction to you, what?"

Merle shook his head. "I was only planning on teaching her self-defense. Your sister; she is kind in a way that I aint never known. She treated me like I was a good person, and I'll be a son of a bitch if it didn't make me want to be that person. I decided that I knew best and made some stupid calls. Shouda listened to her...I shouda told her..." He kicked the dirt with his boot and turned to walk away.

"Come on girl, we got work to do. Let get going."

Maggie picked herself off the ground. She stood for a moment, trying to decided if she actually witnessed Merle Dixon cry over her sister.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

He walked into the room and found her sitting in the chair by the desk. She stood and waited for him to address her. She stood there with her hands clasped in front of her like a school girl. He was glad to see that Andreas clothes fit her well enough, but it also led to the inevitable comparison. She was smaller chested and younger looking, but all in all she could easily pass for Andreas sister. The same blond hair and blue eyes; long and lean legs that fit into Andres's jeans like a glove. He wondered for a moment if the girl was as innocent as she played.

"Well I'm glad to see that the clothes fit. Do you need anything? Food? Something to drink?"

"What are you going to do with me?"

He admired her pluck; she was going right to the point. "To be honest; I'm not sure myself. I figure I'll try to trade you for Michonne...she and I have some unresolved issues. I guess you'll have to wait and see."

"Something to eat and drink would be nice; if it's not too much trouble."

He almost wanted to laugh. She was polite even to her kidnappers. There was something about her that made him want to push her, just to see what she would do. He took off his shirt and her face immediately

flushed as her eyes dropped to the floor.

"Sure, I'll have something brought up for you. Now of course it goes without saying that you will have to stay here. Now if you behave, then we can make this as comfortable as possible. If you give me any trouble I will send you back to the room downstairs. Understand?"

She nodded. "Um...where do I sleep?"

He grinned and sat on the bed shirtless, patting the mattress beside him. She stiffened and her eyes went wide.

"Oh, don't fret darlin. I'm much too busy to worry about sleep. You'll have the room to yourself, I promise." He grabbed a fresh shirt out of the drawer and pulled it on as he walked over to her. He stood uncomfortable close to her, making sure that he was invading her personal space. "Now darling, I have men posted outside to keep an eye on you and make sure you behave. They wanted me to keep you locked up downstairs but I felt that you would be all right up here." He placed his hand under her chin and tilted her face towards his. He leaned in and spoke into her ear. "I promise you; if you make me regret this decision; I will make you very sorry. Do you understand?"

Beth swallowed and nodded. Her heart was pounding so hard she was surprised that her shirt was not moving.

"Good girl." He gently placed his hand on her cheek and lightly kissed her face. Once he left the room, Beth was able to release the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She was not certain how; but she would have to get out of here and it would have to be tonight.

**AN: Sooo sorry for the delay. My muses have been silent and I changed my mind like a million times on what exactly the governor would do with Beth. I decided not to go as dark as I initially intended, but there will still be plenty o drama. Please review if your hanging with me! I need to know you are out there and that kittens around the globe are safe and sound. **


	12. Breakout

**AN: Thanks again for the support. I got lots of love for making the Governor creepy without getting to dark; so I'm really glad you liked it. **

Beth was scrambling to gather anything useful in the room. She found a messenger bag in the closet and was tossing random items into it. As she scurried around, the door creaked open. Beth slid the bag under the bed and sat in the chair by the desk. A younger man walked into the room holding a tray. He ogled her while he placed the tray on the desk. Beth inhaled deeply. It was some chicken based soup with crackers and a bottle of water. Her stomach growled in anticipation as she realized that she had not eaten since breakfast. She began to devour the soup when she noticed that the man was still in the room watching her.

"Thank you; I didn't realize how hungry I was."

He flashed a creepy smile. "No problem sweetheart."  
Beth felt her stomach turn at his words. She thought that maybe he was waiting for her to finish so he could return the tray. She ate as fast as she could without looking like a freak. Once she had eaten enough to feel full, she put her spoon on the tray and moved the water bottle to the desk. She slid the tray forward and forced a smile.

"I'm all done. If you need to take the tray back you can."

He looked her up and down, "Aint no rush darlin." He sat pulled up a chair next to hers. Beth's skin crawled as he ran the back of his hand over her arm. "What's a pretty little thing like you doing here anyway? I mean the governor don't want no one knowing your here; but you don't look like trouble to me."

Beth swallowed hard. "I should get some rest. I'm gonna go to bed now." She rose slowly and walked over to the bed. His eyes went dark and he licked his lips. "That sounds like a good idea to me."

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into him. He began to kiss her neck and shoulders. She squirmed in protest and tried to get away.

"Wait; no; you don't want to do this. The governor plans to use me for a trade and he'll be mad if I'm hurt. Please; I'm sure you don't want him angry."

He stopped for a moment and looked at her. Just when she dared to hope that he would just leave her alone...he shoved her violently onto the bed. His body was pinning her to the mattress.

"Totally worth it."

He grinned at her as he continued to assault her with his mouth. Hot tears were sliding down her face as she felt his hands sliding under her shirt onto bare skin. Cold panic was gripping her insides, but she forced herself to focus. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths through her nose to try and calm herself.

"Your power is in your lower body, hips and legs. You fight a man with your arms, you've already lost."

Merle's voice rang out in her head. She took a final deep breath and used her hips to flip him off of her. She jabbed two fingers into the soft spot at the base of his neck. He immediately began to gasp for air and instinctively wrapped his hands around his neck. She leapt off the bed and grabbed the shoulder bag and water bottle as she ran out the door. She checked the hallway, no one else was guarding the door, so she ran for the stairs. Beth had no clue where she was going, but she was getting the hell away from Mr. Creepy back there. As she flew down the stairs, she could hear him stumbling behind. Moving as fast as she dared, Beth felt like he was gaining on her. As she flew around a corner, a shadow frightened her but she was moving too fast to keep her balance and she tumbled down the remaining steps. She smacked her head into the wall, slowly she got back on her feet and continued down the hall towards a door. The walls were going in and out of focus as she ran down the narrow hallway. At the end of the hall was a sliding metal door and she could see light coming from inside. She turned around to see Mr. Creepy at the far end of the hall. As terrified as she was at the thought of who or what might be behind that door; she was far more afraid of the creep heading down the hall. Better to take her chances on what's behind door number one. She tossed the messenger bag into the corner so if someone was in this room it would look like she was running away from Mr. Creepy and not escaping. Grasping the door handle firmly, she yanked it open and darted inside, sliding it shut behind her. However, nothing could compare her for the shock she felt once she turned around to look inside.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW DTWD

Daryl sat in the main room twirling a bolt between his fingers. He needed something to distract him from the reality of the situation. At this point there best option was to wait, and there was nothing that Daryl hated more than waiting.

"Penny for your thoughts"

Her voice brought him back to the present and out of the spider web that was his mind. He smiled up at her as she walked over to sit next to him.

" Just hate waiting...this whole thing sucks."

Daryl nodded. "Yea, it does. What I don't get is why in the hell she did it? I mean what possessed her to go running off to save my idiot brother. I love him, but I know who he is."

Carol sat thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, I think Beth is an eternal optimist. She always wants to see the best in people. You know I thought it was foolish too; but she does seem to have a positive influence on Merle. He had already let Michonne go; which means he was going to risk his own life to save ours. Even I have to admit that is pretty noble."

Daryl nodded thoughtfully. "Yea, I guess. There just such an odd couple...you know."

"I suppose, but that's one of the great mysteries of the universe. What brings two people together is a formula that is as unique as a snowflake. Sometimes you just find love in the most unexpected ways."

She smiled at him and placed her hand on his. He put his other hand on top of hers and they sat for a moment just enjoying the company. They heard someone headed there way, so Daryl looked up to see who was coming. Carol knew the moment was passed and she went to kiss him on the cheek before she left, however the moment she leaned in to kiss him was the exact moment that Daryl chose to turn back to face her. Their lips touched for the briefest of moments. Carol pulled back and a rosy blush crept into her cheeks. She put her fingers up to her lips. "Oh, I sorry I didn't mean..."

He gave her that crazy sexy half smile half smirk that makes her heart melt. "No, it's cool...don't worry about it."

"Ok, well I see you later."

He ran his hands through his hair. "Uh, yea...later."

She walked up to check in on Judith and prayed that she wouldn't run into anyone on the way. There was no way she could explain the ear to ear grin on her face and she was certain that it wasn't going away anytime soon.

Michonne walked over to the figure slumped over the bench. His lip was cut and he looked like he had been worked over pretty good.

"So I guess you're gonna tell me I should see the other guy."

He gave her a smirk. "Naw...specially since the other guy is a gal. I had this one coming I spose."

Michonne nodded. "Maggie?"

"What gave it away?"

Michonne laughed. He was a smart ass to the very core. "Well that's one down and two more to go."

He snorted. "I'll be lucky if I get to live long enough to help fight the governor."

"Oh its much too practical to keep you here for the fight. Any killing or maiming can wait until the governor is dealt with."

"Well aint you just a ray of sunshine?"

She smiled. "I try. Listen, I know you must be torn up about all this, but I got a feeling that she's gonna be ok. After all, she had a good teacher."

He shook his head and gave her a smile that actually reached his eyes. "God I hope so...I really do."

She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. " We have to keep hope alive. These days hope is the only thing we got to live for. Come on up, we are finished with the tombs and now we just need to pack up the prison so we can set up first thing in the morning."

He got up and followed her out, echoing a silent prayer in his head that God would protect Beth and bring her back safe.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW DTWD

Beth was frozen in place as she took in the scene. Andrea was handcuffed to some kind of barber or dentist chair. She had obviously been beaten. Another man was in the corner being held down. He was blond with Harry Potter style glasses and he was taking a much more severe beating then Andrea at the moment. The governor was standing over him with his fist raised. He stared at her with cold, unfeeling eyes. She knew that he would follow behind her at any moment, so she decided to act fast and she ran behind the governor and grabbed his left arm. The door flew open and panic began to seep into his face like red dye in a glass of water. He pointed to Beth. "She's escaping sir. I tried to stop her but she attacked me from behind."

Beth looked up at him in desperation. "That's not true, I tried to do what you said I did. He came to bring me food and attacked me. He tried to rape me, please you have to believe me."

The governor took a moment to look Beth over and then walked over to Mr. Creepy. He turned to his lackey. "Martinez; go check around, make sure we don't have any other guests." He nodded and exited out the door, shutting it behind him.

" Now, I'm inclined to believe the young lady. You see I noticed a bruise on her neck and finger shaped bruises on her arms. I know she didn't have any bruises when I left, so that means you lied."

The color drained from his face. He started to stammer and try to come up with an excuse, but the governor simply placed his hand on the back of the man's neck.

"I would never want it to be said that I'm not a forgiving man." He turned to Beth and smiled as he plunged the knife into the man's chest. "However, I can't abide liars in my camp. No trust can be built that way. Without trust we have anarchy. That simply will not do."

The man made some gurgling sounds and slumped to the ground. Beth fought hard to keep her soup down and she stared at the ground to steady herself. He walked over to her with the bloody knife in his hand.

"My apologies darling. I never wanted you to be exposed to all this violence, but I'm afraid that it's simply part of the world we now live in. I'm certain that you have questions about Andrea here and Milton. You see I trusted Andrea once too. She was loyal and hard working, I admired her very much. However, I told her that if she went to the prison she was not to return. When she did come back, I couldn't help but give her a second chance to prove herself. I really wanted to believe that she was a loyal part of my team, my family here. She betrayed that trust once again; took the kindness and generosity I showed her and spit in my face. I can't allow that to pass, so I'm afraid that Andrea will not be with us much longer. Milton however, has proven his loyalty in the past. I want to believe that he is still with me, so he is going to prove where his loyalties lie once and for all. Milton, you are going to take this knife and kill Andrea. I assure you, you will not leave this room without killing her."

"Wait." Beth heard her voice, but it sounded like someone else speaking. "Please, couldn't you trade me and Andrea, I mean surely two people is worth more than one, that would make them more likely to agree. What you really want is Michonne, right? There has to be another way."

He sighed and turned to Milton, extending the knife to him handle first. "No sweetheart there is not. I'm truly sorry."

Beth braced herself. "Me too."

She grabbed his hand and forced the knife into his thigh. He screamed in pain and before he could react, she knocked him to the ground, keeping him pinned by shoving her knees into his chest. Milton pulled keys from the governors pocket and quickly released Andrea from her cuffs. Beth pulled the knife from his leg. He again cried out and Beth was certain that they had very little time to get out. Everyone ran for the door and Beth slammed it shut, sliding the lock in place.

"Good luck getting out of there before your friend wakes up; you fucking psycho!"

Andrea raised her eyebrow at Beth's outburst. Beth just shrugged. While Beth grabbed her messenger bag, Andrea checked on Milton.

"Hey, are you ok?"

He was holding his side "I'm fairly certain that I have some broken ribs. All things considered, I'm pretty good."

She smiled at him. "Come on we gotta get out of here now."

Milton steadied himself on the wall. "Follow me, I know all the back ways out."

With that, Beth Andrea and Milton made their way through Woodbury's underground and headed to the prison.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

Merle sat in the guard tower and scanned the perimeter again. He was desperately trying to thing about anything but her. It was sunset and he had evening watch, so it was going to be a long night. After talking to Michonne, he decided that she was right. He would focus on what he could do for her once she got back. The first order of business was to get her to see that they can't be together. He would never be worthy of a woman like Beth and she would only be disappointed in the end. They could still be friends, and he would gladly give his life for her; but there could be no more romantic leanings. She would find someone better, he was certain. Just as he was replaying the conversation in his head he noticed movement. At first, he rubbed his eyes and double checked to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Sure enough, there were three blond figures running to the gate from the tree line. He whistled down to Daryl and pointed. Daryl headed to the gate to open it. He looked back up, his heart filled with hope that she would actually make it back save. His heart immediately dropped when the road to the prison was filled with multiple headlights, all bearing down on the small group that were desperately trying to make it to the gate in time.

**AN: Oh no! Will they make it? You'll have to keep reading to find out ;-) I hope you like this one and I hope that I kept Beth in enough danger to keep it interesting. As for Andrea and Milton; I think I had an Oprah moment...I saved Merle and was like...you get to live, you get to live...everybody get to live! That's way better then a car...but not as awesome as a review...hint hint**


	13. Prision Time

The trio took a car and drove towards the prison. Once they were close, everyone agreed that it would be safer to walk to the prison. Rick would surely be on high alert now, and driving up in a strange car might get them blown off the road. As they walked, Beth began to explain how she had ended up being captured by the governor.

Andrea's brow furrowed. "Wait, so you went off on your own to stop Merle?"

"Yea, I know. It's complicated."

"Complicated how? It's Merle. He's an egotistical, raciest prick."

Beth sighed. "I know he can be a jerk, but there is more to him than that. Most of that crap is just bravado to cover for the fact that he doesn't want to get hurt."

At this point Milton chimed in. "We are talking about Merle Dixon; right."

Andrea suppressed her laugh. She could feel Beth's eye rolling at them both.

"You know I thing everyone forgets that Daryl used to be a douche bag as well; but he turned over a new leaf and everyone's cool. I think that Merle could do the same if he was given a chance."

"Yea well; I think if I shot Merle; he'd of had more to say then 'If you shoot me again, best make sure I'm dead.' Just saying."

Milton look at Andrea with surprise. "You shot Merle's brother?"

Andrea smiled in spite of herself at the memory. "Yea, its kinda a long story. I'll fill you in on the details later."

Milton shook his head. "Well I only had one interaction with the man, but I would tend to agree with the young ladies original assessment. I didn't notice that he and Merle were all that different."

Andrea laughed. "That's because you were on the wrong side. You'll warm up to him once you get to know him."

"See" Beth raised her voice and was shushed by Andrea and Milton in tandem. "That is what I'm talking about. People meet Daryl and have the same negative reaction, but they give him a chance. That's all I'm asking for Merle. Just give the guy a chance and you'll see he's really funny and smart...he can even be kind and sweet if you let him." Beth's voice took on a dreamy quality and Andrea shook her head.

"Beth, please...for the love of God tell me you did not sleep with that man."

Beth didn't answer, but the blush in her cheeks was enough to confirm Andrea's suspicions.

"Oh dear God...Beth, I thought you were smarter than that."

Beth frowned "I knew you wouldn't get it."

"Your right I don't; but you might get it. You might get the clap, or crabs or God know what else." Andrea drew in a sharp breath. "Beth; please please tell me you used some kind of protection."

Beth continued to walk. "Can we just get to the prison."

Andrea closed her eyes and cursed. "Beth, sweetheart you have to think these things threw. You're not a child."

Beth turned on her with her hands on her hips. "Look, they keep the condoms and birth control in the medical supplies that my father controls. It's not like I can walk up to him and say "Hey dad, how are you today? Say I was wondering if I could get some condoms...no big deal."

Milton spoke up. "Can we please change the topic to something less awkward?"

"Fine, but Beth and I will be having a private discussion later."

Beth sighed loudly. "Are we there yet."

Milton muttered "God I hope so."

Andrea suppressed a giggle and took a good look around. "Yea we are close; they should be able to see us just over that ridge."

They continued on together and saw the prison in the clearing. The trio carefully made their way to the gate. It was near sunset; but there was enough light that they would be seen by anyone on watch. They were careful to navigate quietly and stay low to the ground. Once they were within eyesight; the group could help distract the walkers. There was only about a football field or so between then and the gate. The decided to make a run for it. Beth lead out, knowing that they would let her in without question. She took off and smiled to herself when she heard the whistles back and forth. She was certain that it was Merle and Daryl. That was when she heard the engines approaching.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW DTWD

Knowing that time was not on his side; Daryl rushed to the gate. He knew that they would still be within range of there shooters once the trucks arrived. He opened the gate and let them in; quickly closing and locking in behind them. Beth made a beeline for the main building with Daryl close behind. Andrea grabbed Milton and they headed for the far side of the nearest guard tower. As Beth neared the doors to the building; she began to believe that she would actually make it. That was the moment she felt a burning pain tear through her right arm. The shot propelled her forward, causing her to fall face first. Daryl speed up to reach her when he saw Carol dart out from her hiding spot and run to Beth. He cursed under his breath and turned for a moment to see if they had any cover fire. He was relieved to see Carl with one of the high powered rifles taking pot shots at the gunmen. He ran forward to help Carol get Beth inside to safety. Once they were inside he could hear Merles heavy footfall as he ran to meet them. They gently laid Beth on the floor, as the fall had knocked her unconscious. Carol began to asses her wound when Merle knelt beside her.

"Here, let me take a look."

Carol regarded him with suspicion. Daryl started to offer to help just to keep the peace, but Merle cut him off.

"Look little brother, I know you've cleaned up you fair share o wounds, but you anit dealt with no gunshots. No disrespect to you Carol, but I doubt you have any more experience then him. Please just let me have a look."

She looked to Daryl and he nodded at her. She back away and he gingerly rolled her arm to look at the back.

"Well, good news is, it's a through and through. She don't look to be bleeding too bad, so hopeful they missed any arteries. Other than that, the wound looks clean and it should heal nice once her pop gets her fixed up."

Daryl spook up. "Were gonna need a distraction. Something to get them down to the tombs."

"I'll go... if I run down there, they will follow me." Carol spoke up softly.

Daryl shook his head vehemently. "That anit happening."

Carol smiled at him and placed a hand on his arm. "I can do this, I'm small so I can hide once the traps go off. I survived down there before. Remember?"

"Yea, I do remember. Wish I could forget. You just barely made it out of there, and only cuz I found you."

"Then you'll just have to find me again." She put her hand on his face. "Please let me do this, you and Merle are great shots, you should be here taking out any stragglers and making sure the main house is secure. Hershel and Judith are her and Beth is hurt. They need both of you here."

Daryl placed a hand on top of hers and stared at the ground. If he made eye contact with her he was sure he would change his mind. He just nodded at the ground and felt her hand slip from under his. He took and deep breath and found a good spot to guard the door while Merle carried Beth up to Hershels room.

Carol slowly opened the door and listened. She could hear footsteps and whispers; she checked her boot for her knife and slipped out the door with her hand gun. She moved until she noticed a group of them, then she decided to dart around the corner and herd them to the tombs. They dutifully followed, and Carol began to look for a spot to hole up. She found a corner to squeeze into and she sat on the floor with her knees in front of her, She covered her ears and closed her eyes in anticipation of the alarms and flash bangs. Once the group tripped the first trap, all hell broke loose. The people from Woodbury were so frightened and confused, they actually began to shoot at each other. Finally, they were headed out the door. Carol carefully fell in behind them and had her knife ready for any walkers that were drawn by the alarms. She had to take out 2 or 3 walkers on the way out, but the path was mostly clear. Once they were in the open, the group fled for the gates. From the barricades on the walk way, Glen and Maggie herded them the rest of the way out. They loaded up into their vehicles and got the heck out of there. Everyone was relieved and they began to celebrate, but they knew that it was far from over. They would have to take the fight to Woodbury. Everyone was gathering in the main room to assess the damage and decide their next move. Carol walked in and saw Daryl waking toward her with serous determination. She stood there and waited for him to reach her.

"You got a death wish or something?"

Carol looked confused "What do you mean?"

"You just ran out to Beth without thinking, your were damn lucky that Carl was giving you cover fire. You could've been killed."

"Well I wasn't gonna leave Beth out there like that."

"Woman, I was right behind her. You can't just go off half cocked like that. People here they need you, rely on you. You gotta think about how things you do would affect the group."

Carol smiled and walked up to him placing her hands on his face as she stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his for just a moment.

"I promise I'll be more careful, and I love you too Daryl."

She ran her hands down his arms and squeezed his hands for a moment. She let go of him with her left hand and turn to walk away. Daryl tightened his grip on her right hand and pulled her to him, kissing her with a long and deep kiss that left Carol breathless. For a moment, there was nothing in the world but the two of them and it was magic. When they finally came up for air, they just stared into each other's eyes.

"It's about freaking time."

Both Carol and Daryl looked up to see the walkway above them was filled with their friends. Glen had yelled down at them. Now Maggie, Glen and even Rick were clapping. Carl even whistled at them. Daryl shook his head and took a small step away from Carol.

"Man; fuck all yall." He wasn't able to keep a straight face. Carol was giggling as well. She looked so beautiful that he couldn't help but touch her face. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around him. Happiness was not normal for him, but he was beginning to think he could get used to it.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

Hershal was sitting beside his youngest daughter. She was still unconscious, but her blood pressure and pulse were good. He had cleaned and dressed the wound along with getting the bleeding under control. Merle's initial assessment of her injuries was pretty accurate. The bullet didn't appear to have hit any arteries. Andrea and Milton had told him about Beth falling down the stairs in Woodbury. He would keep an eye on her to ensure that she did not have a concussion. Other than that, there was very little he could do. He had been concerned about how close Beth was getting to Merle, but he was furious when he found out about her going after Merle. So he was sitting here with his baby girl. Partially to keep an eye on her, and partially to resist the urge to have a conversation with Merle that did not involve any words.

"Bethy, I've done all I can to fix you honey. I need you to come back to me now darling. Please come back." He held her hand as he spoke to her. The other hand was on his Bible, he had never asked God for much, but it was his most fervent prayer that Beth would make a full recovery.

Maggie relieved her dad and insisted that he go and get some food. The others would be back from Woodbury soon and he might be needed. He reluctantly left and later that evening Carol came to relieve Maggie. Maggie was not going to leave at first, but Carol insisted that she go update Glen and get some rest. She agreed but only after Carol promised to come and wake her if anything changed during the night. She sat there for a couple of hours and was getting pretty tired herself when she heard someone coming. She looked up and Merle was standing in the doorway.

"There haven't been any changes. She is still stable but unconscious."

"Yea, I know." He stood very still as he spoke.

"Then what do you want?" Carol knew he was trying, but she still had no patients for the man.

He took a deep breath. "I just, I want to see her. Talk to her. Even if it's just for a little while. I know her dad and sister anit gonna let me within ten feet of her, but I was hoping you might."

She watched him without responding or moving for a while as she considered what he was saying. It was less than a minute, but it felt like forever to Merle.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Merle's desperation began to show in his voice. "Look; I know I don't deserve no second chances; but I need to see her. Just to talk to her for a few minutes. You can even stand out here in the hallway. I got some things to say and I don't even know if she can hear me...but it's important. Please."

Carol sighed. She guessed that it couldn't hurt to let him talk to her after all. " I'm gonna go check on Judith. You can stay with her till I get back, but then you're gone. Got it?"

Merle nodded. He walked passed Carol and sat in the chair next to Beth. She look so pail and frail. He took her hand and wanted to start talking, but he suddenly felt like all the moisture in his mouth had vanished. He swallowed and took breath before he began.

"Hey there princess. I talked to blondie and her pal poindexter. They told me all about how you got away from the governor. That was some mighty fine work there lady. You done me proud. I tell you what, I'd have given a million dollars to see the look on that son of a bitches face when you drove that knife into his leg. That was well played. I know you're out of sorts right now, but I need you hear me. I started this whole thing cuz I thought that you need teaching. I never figured on you teaching me. I keep my walls up pretty high; I don't let people in so I never get hurt. Thing is you just busted through all my walls and ignored every bit of the bullshit. I thought that you needed someone like me; but the truth is, I need someone like you. You get better and come back to us darling, because we all need you here. You make us better."

He squeezed her hand and slowly rose to leave the room. He released her hand, but he felt her griping his hand back. He turned to the bed and confirmed that Beth was holding his hand. She started to stir. He moved his hand to her shoulder and gently shook her.

"Beth"

Her eyes blinked open. "Oh hey Merle. I was just thinking about you. I had the weirdest dream."

He smiled down at her. "I just bet you did. Princess you hand quite the day. You just lay here and get some rest. You pop will be in to check on you shortly, ok?"

She stretched out and yawned. "Ok, good night Merle."

"Goodnight princess." He leaned down and kissed her head before going to find Carol. She was headed back towards the cell and he told her the news. She ran to get Maggie and Hersheal so they could hear the good news.

The next morning, everyone filed in one by one to check on Beth and say hi. The guys returned from Woodbury with bus loads of people and brought everyone up to date on what happened with the governor. Between the chaos of getting everyone settled and the group wanting to see Beth, it was late afternoon before Andrea and Milton got there shot. Andrea had gone with the group to Woodbury and was helpful in reassuring the people that Rick and his group were good and meant them no harm. Andrea and Milton helped get folks settled as they knew who would want to be close to who and which people to keep separate from one another. They walked in and found Beth sitting up in her bed reading.

"I'm so glad you guys brought books back. I didn't realize how much I missed reading."

Andrea smiled at her and patted her foot. "No problem hon. So, how are you feeling?"

"My arm is really sore, but dad says that's to be expected. Muscle takes longer to heal and its painful while its healing. I'll have to start doing physical therapy after a few days to make sure my arm will work right once I heal. I do have a mild concussion, but dad says that will pass too. I'm just following orders to take it easy until then."

Andrea smiled. "Good I'm glad." She looked to Milton and turned back to Beth. "Listen, I don't want to get into your business; but I have to ask a very important question. Beth, is there a possibility that you could be pregnant?"

Beth sighed glared at Andrea. "I really don't think that is any of your business."

Milton spoke up. "Ms. Green; we aren't trying to be nosy, but your injuries will required drugs. I'm certain that you will be given pain killers and most likely antibiotics to prevent your arm from becoming infected. If you are pregnant, your father needs to know so he can give you medications that will not harm the baby."

Beth hung her head and began to chew on her bottom lip. "Oh, I guess I didn't think about that. I haven't had...well you know since Merle came to the prison, but that was only two and half maybe three weeks ago. Before that, I'm not sure. The days all kind of run together here."

Andrea and Milton exchanged glances and turned back to Beth again. Milton handed her a small plastic cup with a lid. Beth examined it for a moment and then began to shake her head.

"No, if you test me dad will find out. I can't let him know, at least not unless I have to. There must be another way."

Milton reassured her. "I thought of your privacy, so I will be doing other test. There are a number of test we can run to see if you have any internal damage that won't raise your father's suspicions."

Beth picked at her blanket. "Ok, but bring the test here and don't look at it. I want to know first."

Andrea nodded. "Fair enough, well you know what to do."

With that the two of them waited for Beth to provide a sample to test.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW DTWD

Hershal noticed Merle sitting in a corner by himself, so he hobbled over to him and sat down. Merle looked up and nodded to him politely.

"So Carol told me that it was you who was with Beth when she woke up."

"Yep, I didn't want to start no fights so I asked to see her when Carol was there. Hope you aint too mad."

Hershal regarded Merle for a moment before answering. "On the contrary; I'm pleased that you did. It seems that she wasn't responding to anyone else. There is no telling how long she would have been out if you hadn't went to visit her. She seems to be very close to you."

Merle sighed and braced himself for the inevitable 'get the hell away from my daughter' lecture. "Yea, I know. Listen I'll stay away from her and all. I just wanted to say my peace."

Hershal laughed to himself. He was curious to see how Merle would react to what he had to say. "Actually Merle; I wanted to talk to you about that. You see I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and I was reminded of how much we have in common. You see, my father was a hateful and thankless drunk whose death I will never morn. Unfortunately I too spent my fair share of time at the bottom of a bottle; it was my first wife that pulled me from that path. She was a fiercely stubborn woman and her willpower was far greater than mine. You can see it in Maggie, she has that same force of will. My second wife was a different story all together. She drew me in with her kindness. It was like being in quicksand, the more you fight it; the more it covers you. Beth is like a mix of the two, I see her stubborn streak in her as well, but she has that ability to draw people in with her kindness and love. She was forever bringing home wounded animals and could never turn a blind eye to anyone or anything that needed to be nurtured. I suspect you understand that already though."

Merle snorted. "More than you know. I know I'm no good for her and I try to run her off or just ignore her, but you were right about that quicksand. The more I fight, the deeper I get stuck."

Hershal smiled. "You know, when I married my first wife; I was just thrilled at my luck. I never once considered what her family must think. A kind sweet woman like her with a man like I was then. However, she proved that she knew what she was doing all along. I want to protect my girls and keep them safe from all harm, but that just is not possible. As much as it worries me, I have to let them follow their own path. So I want you to go and see Beth. Not because you have earned my trust or my blessing; but because I raised my daughter to be smart, strong and follow her heart. If her heart has lead her to you; then so be it."

Merle stared at the man for a moment, trying to figure out if what he was hearing was real. He look up to the walkway that lead to Beth's room and decided that he had better get up there before the old man changed his mind.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW DTWD

Milton and Andrea walked into the room with a try covered by a hand towel. Beth took a deep breath and stared at the tray. She was terrified to move that towel, because she knew that her whole life might be about to change. She look at both of them for a moment trying to see if they already knew the answer.

"Did you look?"

Andrea and Milton both shook their heads. Milton place the tray on her lap and stood next to her bed with Andrea on her opposite side.

"If you want us to leave, we will honey. It's up to you." Andrea spoke with the soft motherly tones that made Beth wish her mother was still with her.

"No, I want you to stay. I don't think I can do this alone. I'm not sure I can do it at all."

Andrea smiled gently. "How about on the count of three?

Beth nodded. She grabbed one corner of the towel and took a long slow breath.

"One...two...three..."

**AN: Yep I'm a bastard. But you'll keep reading to find out...wont you? My evil plan is working...mwuhhahaha. I started out with a romantic little fluff story, then it turned into some action and drama, so because I a weirdo and so is my muse, I'm ending it with comedy. Stay tuned folks...cuz I think you will really like the final few chapters...especially if you liked Ladies Night and We Never Had The Talk. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the follows and favorites; but remember that Reviews Rule! KK love you all and I hope to have the next chapter up in a few days. **


	14. Everybody Talks

Merle walked into the room to find Beth sitting up starring at her blanket, she appeared to be a million miles away. He walked in and suddenly she was aware of his presence and she looked up and smiled. He would never get over how that smile made him feel whole; like the world was still worth saving.

"Hi there stranger." She teased him as he walked over to her bed.

"Hi yourself. Sorry, but after all that went down, I thought it best to keep my distance. "

"Oh" She looked a bit sheepish. After all, it was her fault. "I guess that makes sense; so what changed your mind?"

"Well your pop and I had a talk. He is at least somewhat ok with me now. I don't know how long that will be. Figured I'd better take advantage of it before he changes his mind."

Beth's face lit up. "Oh well that's great. I'm sure your growing on him. Just like you grew on me."

Merle snorted "Yep, that's me; grow on ya like a fungus."

Beth smiled sweetly. "You know what I mean. You're a good man, you just don't want people to know it. You want everyone to believe that your this Billy Bad Ass, which is true, but you're afraid to let people know you have a heart. You don't fool me Dixon."

Merle was again irritated by the way this young woman could read her like a book. However, he was beginning to get accustomed to it at the same time. He felt a bit exposed and decided to take his leave. "Well princess; there is more than enough work to go around. I best be getting back. I'll check in on you later this evening."

She squared her eyes and pointed at him. "You had better; after all, I know where you live."

Merle headed out the door and glanced over his shoulder to see Andrea and Merle headed to Beth's cell caring a tray. He figured they were running some test or what not. He was feeling particularly optimistic as he headed back to the main floor of the prison.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

Later that evening, everyone was gathered in the main room, enjoying a group meal. Beth was feeling well enough to join them, and everyone was in good spirits. There was a lot of talking and laughter; and for the first time in a long time there was a sense of normalcy that enveloped the gray prison walls. Andrea was sitting next to Milton and across from Beth. Merle was allowed to visit her, but he decided not to press his luck with Maggie and Glen so he sat next Daryl who was sitting beside Carol. Rick walked in and looked fairly somber, that was not out of the ordinary but he was standing in the center of the room. There was just something about the way Rick carried himself that made him a natural authority figure. Everyone became quiet and looked to Rick for news. He waited until he was certain that he had everyone's full attention before talking.

"First off; I'd like to welcome our new friends form Woodbury. I know that there has been a lot of misinformation given to yall about us; but I'm certain that you'll find us to be very friendly and accommodating. If you need anything; please feel free to ask. Now; having said that, I have a more serious matter at hand. As a group, we have collectively decided not to keep secrets from one another. Secrets get folks killed or hurt, and we need to be a united front. Hershel brought it to my attention that there was a positive pregnancy test found in the trash. I appreciate that everyone has a right to privacy, but that is just too big of a risk to take. I need to know who this test was for so we can get you proper medical attention and so we can get supplies to assist you. No one is here to judge, we just want to help. So I'm asking that you come forward now."

Andrea felt her eyes widen, she dared a sideways glace at Beth. The color was drained from her face and she was chewing on her bottom lip. Andrea closed her eyes and took a deep breath. That poor girl probably didn't have time to tell her dad or Merle. She had a lot of respect for Rick, but this was not the way for Beth's family to find out about her condition. Every big sister instinct in her kicked in and she found herself standing up. Suddenly; everyone was staring at her. She was really terrified and swallowed before she spoke. "I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to hide anything I just wanted to get my head around it first. Rick, the test belongs to me."

Karen stared at her with a look of horror painted on her face. "You're pregnant with Philips baby?"

Andrea felt her stomach drop. She could tell by the look on everyone else's face that would isolate her from her old group as well as the people of Woodbury. She started to talk and hoped to God she would come up with something; she was a lawyer for God's sake.

"Uh...actually no. You see I figured out who Phillip really was and we ended our relationship. I did however meet someone who was brilliant and like minded. We worked together to try and exposed Phillip; but in the process we became lovers. Phillip found out about us and tired to kill us both. That's why Milton was in the cellar with me."

Milton's hands were balled into fists and he stared intently at the table. Andrea placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled as he looked up at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Milton, darling...I'm sorry your finding out this way but; I'm having your baby."

Milton shot a quick glance to Beth and then raised his hands in a semi shrug. "What can I say; I'm speechless."

Everyone look at them with suspicion. They did make an odd couple and she was about to choke on the silence that had settled over the room. Carl jumped up and hugged her. "Congratulation honey; and welcome home!"

Andrea was never more thankful for the grace and tact of her friend. Soon, everyone was stopping by to wish them well. Andrea had to laugh as Milton looked like he might crawl out of his skin to escape this attention. She was grateful that he was going along with the charade for now. Beth walked past her and mouthed a thank you. She would have a discussion with Beth later, at least it bought her time.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWTDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Merle came to see her late that evening. She was scribbling on a scrap piece of paper when he entered.

"Hey, I've been waiting for you all night."

Merle gave her his classic smirk "Good things come to those that wait darling."

She rolled her eyes. "Yea yea. Come sit with me."

He sat next to her on the cot. "So Blondie and Poindexter and have a baby. That I did not see coming."

Beth smiled. "About that; I have a question, and I need you to be totally honest."

Merle simply nodded.

"I know that I love you. I need to know, do you love me too? If you don't I'll be disappointed, but I would understand. When all this started, I just wanted to know about sex, but it became much more than that to me. You were honest and you never promised me anything, so what I need is the complete truth. I promise I can take it no matter what."

She looked up at him with those impossibly blue eyes. He held her gaze for what felt like forever as he contemplated how to answer her question. Merle was not accustomed to love in his life. He wasn't even sure he understood what love is. He took a long slow breath. "Darling, to be honest I'm not sure I know what it is to love someone. I do know that there is nothing I won't do to make you happy. I know you make me a better man. I know I want you in my life. If that means that I love you...then yes...I love you."

Beth smiled the most brilliant and beautiful smile he had ever seen. "Well then, I should show you what I've been working on." She turned over the paper in her lap and reveled two list of names. One labeled boy and one labeled girl.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

The next day was fairly uneventful. Andrea had almost forgotten about the events of last night until Rick pulled her aside. He showed her to a slightly larger cell. This one was most likely for minimum security prisoners and had held four bunks. They had removed the bunks and placed two of the cots together to make one larger bed. Milton was sitting in a chair and scribbling into his note book. She looked around but was still confused. "What is all this?"

Rick smiled. "Well, since you in the family way; we figured that you would want to bunk together. This is a larger room so we can fit a crib in here. What do you think?"

Andrea smiled at Rick, he was ever the gentleman. "It's great Rick, I can't thank you enough. Isn't it great honey?"

Milton was still writing, but he glanced at her for a moment. "Um...yea...its great doll face."

Rick smiled at them and excused himself. Andrea stood in the doorway with her eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Doll face?"

Milton stopped writing for a moment. "Well Andrea you'll have to excuse me; I'm not as adept a liar as you are. Beside that was the second thing that came to my mind. However; I thought you might take offence if I referred to you as 'boo boo kitty fuck'."

Andrea laughed a long, deep, honest from the gut laugh. She wiped a tear from her eye as she tried to remember the last time someone made her laugh that hard. After taking a moment to catch her breath she shook her head in Milton's direction and placed a hand on her hip. "You know Milton; I never would have pegged you as a Kevin Smith fan."

Milton looked at her over the top of his glasses, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Andrea I would imagine that there are a number of things about me that would surprise you."

Andrea caught her breath and felt her face flush. She smiled and tucked a wayward curl behind her ear while walking out the doorway. As she walked down the hallway, she contemplated what surprised her more. The fact that Milton had just flirted with her; or how much she had enjoyed it.

**AN: So sorry for the delay, but I had some major family medical issues. Everyone is good now, but it definitely cut into my free time. I had planned on writing a longer chapter, but decided to post a short one to say thanks for hanging with me. I love all the support! Please Review! I really want to know what you guys think about how this is going and if you think I'm keeping Milton and Andrea in charter. Reviews are love and all fan fic writers are review whores (don't lie...you know you are!)**


	15. Deep Thoughts

Beth sat on the cot and stared at the plastic stick sitting on the tray in her lap. There was a bright red plus sign visible on the tip of the plastic stick that was screaming at her to react. She was too stunned to respond and continued to stare blankly. Andrea placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Sweetheart; are you ok?"

"Um; yes I think so. I just…I don't know what to feel." Beth answered while keeping her eyes fixed on the tray.

"Well, what is going through your head? I find that sometimes it helps to talk it out."

Beth took a deep breath. "I mean, I've always wanted to have children and I know that I love Merle. I guess I just keep thinking how unfair it is to bring a baby into this world, not to mention the added strain that it puts on the group. Also; I can't help thinking about Lori. You weren't here….but Andrea it was awful. I can't even begin to explain how dark everything was after she died."

Andrea stroked her arm. "Well sweetheart, I can't say what will happen, but you're young and healthy, so there is no reason to think that you'll have any complications. What you're saying is true about this world, but I think we also need hope. Judith gave everyone hope after Lori, and I think she helps all of us to believe that there can be life and a future after all this madness is over."

Beth smiled up at Andrea. "Yea, I think your right."

Milton paused before he spoke. "I don't mean to speak out of turn, but you do have options. You still in the first trimester, so there are certain things you can take to terminate the…"

Beth shook her head firmly. "No; I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I believe that is murder. I don't judge; but it's an option that I could never consider. This is my baby, and we are both in God's hands."

Milton nodded and looked to Andrea. "Well we should be getting back before are absence is noticed."

Andrea bent down and hugged Beth before they walked out. "Is there anyone you want me to send up?"

Beth thought for a moment and shook her head. "No; not just yet. I think I need a minute to myself."

Andrea smiled and she and Milton slipped back into the med room to throw away the test and slip back downstairs into the fray.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

Hershal was taking inventory in the med room. It was something that needed to be done as they were combining all the supplies that were brought in from Woodbury. Truth be told he was doing it to get his mind off of his daughter. He was used to Maggie's defiance and stubborn streak, but Beth had always been a compliant child. She was eager to please and so rarely acted out. He was massively confused by her behavior. As he continued to compile a list of supplies, his mind began to wander and he thought of his first wife. She was a strong woman who could be every bit as stubborn as him; however she was a lady. She came from a good family and she was a respectful and dutiful daughter. He began to imagine what they had thought of him. When she had agreed to marry him, he was a hard worker and a capable provider; but he was also a notorious drunk. They were very cordial to him when he met them and they were just as accommodation at the wedding. It wasn't until he stopped drinking and they started a family that he felt accepted by her parents. He had enjoyed many a frank and open discussion with her father and had found someone he could respect as a man and emulate as a father figure. There death was a harsh blow to him as well as his wife. He opened up yet another box form Woodbury and began to organize and place the supplies in the med room as his mind continued to turn. He recalled the conversation he had with Merle; and just from watching Daryl he was certain that both men were the product of an abusive home. He chuckled to himself as the thought occurred to him that they might have been drinking buddies back in the day. He decided then and there to have a talk with Merle and let him know that he was ok with Merle visiting Beth. It was time she was allowed to make her own choices and she might be just what Merle needed to turn himself around. He had reached the end of the box and placed his notepad down to find Merle when he noticed something pink in the trash can.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

Merle was sitting by himself in the guard tower. He had told Tyreese that they needed help unloading and organizing all the stuff from Woodbury. Tyreese had look a bit skeptical, but he agreed to go and said that he would come back before the next shift. Merle was never so happy as to have a moment alone with his thoughts. What in the hell was he going to do? I mean he could barely handle himself, how was he supposed to be a father? He thought of leaving, just disappearing into the night. That would be the best option, he would only end up hurting her and God forbid he turn into the monster that his father was. He sighed and began to make a plan to leave. Daryl would be disappointed, but not surprised. Merle was certain that Daryl would step up and help Beth in any way possible; after all; the baby is his niece or nephew. He snorted to himself. "Uncle Daryl…what the fuck do you think about that."

"You mean to tell me that Beth is pregnant?"

Merle's head shot up and he was instantly brought back to reality. He had been so lost in thought that he was unaware he had spoken out loud. He saw Daryl standing in the doorway. That ninja mother fucker hadn't even made a sound when he came in. Although Merle would die a thousand deaths before he ever admitted it; Daryl was the superior hunter and tracker in the family. Well there was no point in hiding it; he would find out sooner or later.

"It would seem so."

Daryl shook his head and glared at his older brother. "What the fuck man? I mean she's a kid…and now this. I'm busting my ass to try and get them to let you stay and see you as more than just some redneck jack ass. What do you think they're gonna have to say about this? Dammit man, and I had Hershel on our side too, Fuck!"

"Oh now little brother, don't go getting all worked up. You don't need to worry about me for too much longer."

Daryl got quiet and stood very still. His eyes were burning with anger. "You thinking bout leaving?"

"It would be the prudent thing to do. Your little posse aint exactly rolled out the welcome wagon for me and I don't think this news is gonna help."

"So you're gonna abandon Beth, just take off and make all the shit they said about you true. Your answer is just to run, like a coward. Yea you go ahead and do that, you were always good at checking out if it got tough."

Now it was Merles turn to get pissed. He walked toward Daryl trying to decide if he was going to punch him or shake him.

"So I should stay and make her choose between me and her family? Supposing that she chooses me; then what? I'm gonna take care of her and a baby in this hell? What do you supposed she would have to look forward to? Give it a few years and she be walking around with her head down hiding the bruises just like your little girl friend. Is that what you think is best for her?"

Daryl placed both hands on his hip and look long and hard at his brother. He was never very good with words and he wanted to make sure that Merle understood what he was about to say.

"That aint gonna happen."

Merle snorted "Since when do you have psych powers?"

Daryl grinned "Since never dumb ass. I know that won't happen because you are your own man. You and me have a choice as to whether we act like dad or do our own thing. Also; I know that won't happen because you're afraid that it will. If you didn't give it a thought or had decided that you could never go that way I'd be concerned. You're aware of what could be so you can be vigilant to stop it."

Merle examined his brother for a moment. Before there happy reunion; he would hardly pay what Daryl said any mind. That was given the rare occasions that Daryl had anything at all to say. It seemed that there was a lot going on under all that dirty blond hair and he was sorry that he had never given his brother proper credit.

"Well damn little bro; when did you get all Zen on me?"

Daryl laughed. "Since always. There is one other reason that you anit gonna be like that."

Merle smiled back. "Do tell."

"Cuz if you ever hurt Beth or that baby…you'll have to answer to me."

Merle smirked at his brother. He knew that Daryl was only half joking. He had to admit that being in this group had done his brother some good. He was feeling slightly more at ease with the whole situation. If he was honest with himself; which he rarely was; he could never leave Beth and his child. He cared for Beth more than anyone that had ever been in his life and there was no way in hell he was walking out on his own flesh and blood. His only concern now was that Maggie or Hershal would shoot him on the spot. Well he had beat the odds this far, hopefully his luck would hold.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

Andrea trudged up to her room that night. She was feeling the kind of exhaustion that settles into your bones; however it was a very productive day. They had managed to get everyone settled into the prison; and now with the furniture and personal items, it almost felt homey. She walked into her room and stopped short. In her exhausted state, she had forgotten that Rick had put her and Milton together. She saw him sleeping peacefully...in there bed. She sighed to herself and started undressing. She was DEFINITELY having a discussion with Beth tomorrow. For modesty sake, she decided to wear a shirt to bed. However her shirt was too short to sleep in. She looked around the room to see if there was anything that would work as a nightgown. He eyes settled on Milton's dress shirt. She stared at it for a moment and decided that he wouldn't really mind. After all; she is having his fake baby. She slipped into the shirt and it was just the right size; long and loose enough to cover her, but not so loose that it was falling off of her. Yawning and stretching out her arms, she climbed into bed and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

When Milton woke up that morning, he had two issues. One was that during the night Andrea had come to bed and she was asleep on his arm. The second was that she is wearing his shirt. He slowly tried to slip his arm from underneath her head. As he moved, he used his free arm to slid the covers off him so he could easily get up without disturbing her. He was almost free when she shifted and rolled into him. He laid back on the pillow and sighed. Andrea's head was now on his chest and her is draped across him. Milton stared at her for a moment, she was always attractive, but seeing her looking so peaceful next to him while she was wearing his shirt; he couldn't recall seeing anything more beautiful in his life. He was about to make a second attempt to free himself when he heard a voice from the hall.

"Hey you two. I know we had a long night yesterday so I brought some liquid fuel."

Carol entered to room caring a coffee mug in each hand. Her eyes widened as she saw Andrea still draped across Milton's body.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to disturb you guys."

Milton squinted at the blob in the doorway. He couldn't make out a lot of detail without his glasses, but this blob was petite and had gray hair...so it had to be Carol. "Oh thanks Carol, you weren't disturbing anything I was just about to get up." Andrea began to stir on his chest. Her eyes opened and she shot up the moment she realized that she was sleeping on Milton. He couldn't help but smirk at the look on her face.

"Good Morning sweetheart, Carol brought up some coffee."

Andrea turned to face her friend who was also grinning at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry we slept in Carol. We'll be right down."

Carol placed the cups on the small desk and turned to leave. "Don't worry about it hon. I guess some of had a longer night then others." Carol winked at Andrea as she walked out the door.

She dropped her head into her hands the moment Carol was gone. "Oh Milton, I don't know what to say." He smiled at her discomfort.

"Its fine, I suppose it gives validity to our lie after all. I will need my shirt back though." He put his glasses on and turned back towards Andrea. She had put on her pants and shoes but was still in his shirt. She grinned for a moment and then pulled his shirt over her head and tossed it to him. He couldn't help but stair at her standing there topless. She paused long enough for him to get an eye full and then pulled her shirt on and grabbed her coffee. "Just adding to the validity of our lie." She smiled and winked as she walked down stairs.

Milton shook his head and grabbed the remaining mug. He had a feeling this was only going to get weirder.

**AN: So I'm very sorry for the delay. Life just refused to cooperate with my writing plans. If all goes well I will post the next chapter later today or tomorrow. I plan to play with Andrea and Milton a bit more before Beth's secret is reveled but I'm thinking one or two chapters and I'll have this bad boy wrapped up. I know I'm giving Merle a lot of credit in this one, but I think there was more to him then we got to see. Thanks so much for hanging in there and I'm always so psyched to open my email and find new story favorites and followers. You guys rock! Please remember that reviews are ALWAYS the best. **


	16. Truth or Consequences

Beth was happy to be off bed rest. Her father insisted that she keep to simple tasks, but he did concede to letting her watch Judith. She had always enjoyed caring for Judith, but it felt different now. She kept imagining that it was her baby she was holding. Her mind wandered and she began to wonder what their baby would look like. She was pretty sure the baby would have blue eyes, but her mother had eyes the color of coffee. Genetics were strange and you could never tell. She hoped that the baby would be strong and brave like Merle but smart and thoughtful like her. One thing she was certain of, the baby would be stubborn. There was no getting around that. Daryl was looking for Carol and walked in to find Beth all moon eyed and daydreaming while she was rocking Judith. He watched for a moment and smiled in spite of himself. He thought for a moment before he spoke.

"You thinking about when you'll be rocking your own little one?"

Beth snapped to attention, she hadn't even head him enter. That man was like a ninja.

"Uh, well I love kids; but I don't see me having children in this word."

"Funny, that's not what I heard."

Beth sat with her mouth hung open. "How did you..." He just looked at her for a moment not speaking. She sat back in the rocker and sighed. "Merle...of course." Fear and panic spread across her face. "You didn't tell anyone did you?"

Daryl shook his head. "Aint my place. I think you need to handle it though. Can't keep a secret like that for long."

Beth dropped her head. "Yea I know; I just don't want my family to freak out on me. The last thing I want is to have them kick Merle out of here."

"Can't predict how anyone will react, but I'll stand by Merle if it comes to that."

Beth looked up at him with those blue eyes large as saucers. "You mean you'd leave with him if everyone insisted that he had to leave?"

"He's my brother."

That helped reassure Beth. They might be ok with booting Merle out, but she doubted that they wanted to lose Daryl again. He had become an essential part of the group and he was sorely missed the last time.

"I promise I'll tell them, I just need a good opportunity. I'm gonna have to make it fast anyway or Andrea might kill me."

Daryl snorted. "I got no idea how anyone believed that line of bullshit."

Beth giggled and shrugged. "Beats me."

Daryl headed off to the tower for watch duty. Beth smiled down at Judith. She would make her family see that this was a good thing; that Merle was good. She just had to figure out how to do it.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW DTWD

Andrea was sitting on the cot reading a book. She had some time before heading down to help Carol with dinner. She had been running the past few days and she didn't mind a bit of down time at all. She heard footsteps and she very nearly fell off the cot laughing when she saw Milton. His clean, pressed dress shirt was rumpled and un-tucked from the left side of his waist. His glasses were skewed on his nose and his hair looked like he had stuck his head out of a moving vehicle. He had various unidentified stains on his shirt and khaki pants. All of this was enough to make her laugh, but it was the look on his face that really set her off.

"Oh my, what happened to you?"

"Karen decided that it would be good for me to take a turn watching the kids."

Andrea tried unsuccessfully to keep as straight face. "So; how did it go?"

He glared at her as she fell over on the bed in a fight of laughter.

"I mean honestly; I have a 130 IQ. I sure there are more important task for me besides babysitting."

Andrea stifled her laughter for a moment. "Well, I'm sure that Karen meant well. She was trying to prepare you for your upcoming arrival."

"Speaking of our non-existent baby; did you talk to Beth today?"

"Yes, she is working on it. Give the girl some time; she is trying to tell her family without them shooting Merle in the face. That is gonna take some finesse."

Milton snorted. "That will be a damn miracle. I hope she's been praying, she's gonna need some divine intervention on this one."

Andrea nodded and smiled at her friend. She scooted back so she was against the wall and patted the bed. He sat with his back to her and she reached out and began to rub his shoulders. She felt his muscles begin to relax and his contented moans told her she was doing a good job. He let his head drop to his chest as she worked her magic.

"You know this almost makes it worth it...almost."

Andrea felt mischievous and couldn't help her response. "Well, if that's your reaction to my shoulder massage; I wonder what I could get you to do for sex."

Milton felt the heat in his face. He was used to her overt sexuality by now, but having it directed at him was something entirely new. He decided that if she could give it out; she should be able to take it as well.

He placed his hand on hers and tuned to face her.

"There's only one way to find out."

She tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Well someone is feeling there Wheaties today."

He watched her reaction. Her face was slightly flushed; she was smiling and didn't seem to be offended or uncomfortable at his comment. He thought for a moment and decided that he might as well go for it. After all; you rarely get second chances in this world. He started to lean into her face. She looked down at the bed, but she leaned ever so slightly toward him. He closed the gap between their faces and waited for just a moment; hovering inches away from her lips. He wanted to give her the chance to pull away, but she stay very still, just waiting. He quickly covered her mouth with his. He had considered kissing her before, but it was nothing like he imagined. Her lips were soft and warm, and carried the faint taste of honey. His had cupped her face and the kiss became deeper. She ran her tongue over his bottom lip and he opened his mouth. Milton was certain that his body would burst into flames at any moment, but he didn't care. Andrea was exquisite and he never wanted this moment to end. He felt her pulling the other half of his shirt free from his pants and he was in awe that this was happening to him. She moved to pull him closer to her when they heard a voice.

"Oh...shoot...we need do not disturb signs around here." Carol was once again standing in the door way looking mortified and amused all at once.

Andrea laughed and laid her head on Milton's shoulder. "Sorry Carol, I guess we got carried away and I lost track of time. I'll be down to help in a sec."

Carol smiled at her. "No problem honey."

Andrea stood up and headed to the door; still smiling. She turned back to Milton and mouthed 'Sorry'.

He shrugged in response. He sat for a moment after she left; wondering to himself if this was some crazy dream when she peeked her head in the doorway.

"Can we pick this up later?" Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were still pink. Milton wanted to pinch himself just to make sure.

"Um...yes. Definitely yes."

"Good." And with that she disappeared down the hall leaving Milton to wait impatiently for this day to end so they could be together.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

At dinner that night, everyone was very relaxed. Andrea and Milton were especially flirty, Carol and Daryl were quiet and sweet and Merle even risked sitting next to Beth. Everyone was telling crazy stories of the things that had happened before the prison. The room was filled with laughter and idle chatter and it was awesome. Merle was thinking about how his life was about to change and what he needed to do to get ready for those changes. When he saw how Milton's face fell when Karen suggested that he take another turn watching the children tomorrow, he figured he would help the both of them. Karen was more than a little surprised by his offer, but no one argued and Milton was more than happy to let Merle have his shift. Even Carl was laughing and enjoying himself for a change. After dinner, Beth and Maggie had volunteered to clean up and Merle had the night watch, so he said good night and risked giving her a hug before heading off. He couldn't help but notice how quickly Andrea and Milton left for their room after dinner. Either they were really selling this whole couple thing or there was something else going on. He had to laugh; he was in no position to judge anyone's choice in love at this point. Overall it was a good night and he was feeling optimistic; which was a very foreign feeling to Merle Dixon.

Milton had barely gotten into their room when Andrea latched onto his mouth. It felt like all his senses were consumed with her. The feel of her skin under his fingers, surrounded by the smell of her, the way she tasted as he kissed her. Milton was a man of reserve and had never been intoxicated in his life; but he imagined that this must be what it felt like. He was losing himself to her; and it was the best feeling of his life. Milton was also a man of logic, and his brain began to nag at him. As both of them removed their shirts and continued to make out; he began to wonder why she was with him. She had been with Phillip, and truthfully that was the kind of man she should be with. Minus the homicidal tendencies of course. He started thinking that maybe she was with him as a rebound, or that she was influenced by their ruse. His fears began to take over and he finally had to say something.

"Andrea, are you sure about this?"

She stopped kissing his neck and looked him in the eye. "Of course, is there a problem?"

Milton immediately felt stupid. He was now making her uncomfortable and potentially running the most awesome thing to ever happen to him.

"No, nothing like that. I guess it's just…I don't think I'm the kind of guy you normally go for."

Her eyes hardened and she tilted her head slightly. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Milton was mentally kicking his own ass. This was going from bad to worse.

"I just mean, you were with Phillip. He's charming, good looking, charismatic, a good leader…the quintessential alpha male. In my old life, I'm the guy a woman like you would call to fix her computer."

Her eyes softened and she smiled. "Yea, just look where dating those guys got me. I almost helped a psychopath attack my friends…great life choices I've been making lately."

He took a chance and pulled her close to him and spoke softly in her ear. "Andrea, he had an entire town of people fooled. Some of us for years, so that's no reflection on your ability to judge a person's charter. The thing is; once you knew you didn't hesitate. You reacted immediately to protect your friends and you nearly lost your life doing it."

"Point taken." She smiled as she regarded him for a moment. "You know what, your wrong Milton. You are the kind of man that I date. When you realized who Philip was, you made sure that I knew, so I could be safe. Then you stood up to him and even stayed in Woodbury knowing that Phillip would get wise to you. You stayed because you felt an obligation to the people of Woodbury. If that isn't classic Alpha Male…I don't know what is."

It was this tiny encased moment in time; but somehow it changed everything. There was something genuine and real between them and they both felt it. Soon after that they were in a heated make out session. Milton gave himself completely over to the intoxicating sensation of Andrea. She was consuming his entire being and nothing had ever felt so right in his entire life.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW DTWD

The next morning; Maggie was on kiddie duty, which was ok with her. It wasn't her favorite detail, but it was a nice change of pace from guard duty or manual labor. The kids were pretty well behaved and she never had too many problems. One of the younger girls Sara walked up to her.

"Ms. Maggie; Sam and some of the other boys went into the tunnel where were not posed to go. I told them not to but they called me a baby and told me to go away."

Maggie sighed. It was almost time for her to relieve Tyreece in the guard tower. It just figures. Sam was one of the older kids, she guessed about 12 or 13. He had his friends got restless as they were not old enough to help out, but a little old to be in with the other kids. If what Sara was saying is true; that could only mean that they were headed into the tombs. She grabbed her knife and headed into the tombs. She told Sara not to worry, that she would be right back. She carful walked down the dark halls, this part of the prison was not cleared out. It was going to be the next step in there plan, but for now everyone was focused on moving Woodbury into the prison safely and getting some kind of order routine in place so that everything could work efficiently. She could hear voices ahead so she risked calling out.

"Sam…boys…you need to come out now. It's not safe, so come on now."

That was when she heard the screaming. She ran instinctively towards the sound; but the moment she rounded the corner, she knew it was too late. One of the boys had been torn to shreds by the small hoard gathered in the hallway. Another boy was making a desperate attempt to run, but he was overtaken by a walker that was now making a meal of the boys shoulder. Several other walkers joined in and the screaming soon stopped. Maggie took a moment to compose herself and then turned to walk back out. However, the screams had attracted a new group of walkers that were now blocking her exit. She pressed herself to the wall, thankful that the walkers hadn't noticed her yet. Maggie began to wonder if this was how she would die; God she hoped not.

Merle was a natural with the kids. At first, they were intimidated by him, but soon enough he was being climbed like a human jungle gym. He was having a good time playing with the little rug rats when he noticed a little girl crying in the corner. He walked over to her and sat down. "Hey there sweetheart, what's wrong?"

She looked up at him with tear filled blue eyes.

"I told Ms. Maggie that Sam and some of the older boys had gone down the tunnel we not posed to go down. She went down there to get them and said she be right back; but she didn't come. I'm friad the monsters got her."

Merle flinched internally. This was bad, he had to try to find her…but if she was still down there it was very likely that she was in trouble. He quickly reattached the blade to his stub. After some of their nastier experiences; Rick had guns hidden around the prison. Merle found the lock box on the top shelf and shoved the snubbed nose revolver into the back of his pants. He bent down to speak to the little girl again. "What's your name darling?"

"Sara"

"Sara, I need your help. I'm gonna go get Ms. Maggie and the boys; but I need you to go find Mr. Rick and tell him what happened. Can you do that for me?"

She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and nodded.

"Good girl."

Sara headed off in the direction of the main room in search of Rick while Merle steeled himself to head into the tombs.

He was careful and quiet as he followed Maggie's boot prints down the hallway. As he approached the first corner, he could hear the moans coming from ahead. He rounded the corner and saw that Maggie was surrounded. She was fighting off the hoard as best as she could, but they would overtake her soon. He began to take out the walkers at the back of the crowd. They were so fixated on Maggie that he was able to take out six or eight before the group took notice of him. Maggie realized that he was making a hole for her to escape, but in her rush to get away, she slipped on walker gore and fell backwards, he head slaming into the brick wall behind her. The world went fuzzy and she felt very sleepy.

Merle cursed. "Maggie, you stay with me now. No falling down on the job."

She muttered something unintelligible, but he could tell she was fading fast. He slashed his way to her and yelled at her to keep her awake until her father could look at her.

"Come on now girl, get your fat ass up. No lying down."

She squinted up at him "Fuck you"

He smiled. That at least meant she was conscious, for now. He helped her to her feet but he knew there was only one way they were getting out.

"Sorry about this, but we gotta move." With that, he tossed her over his right shoulder in a fireman's carry and took off running. He was still pretty fast, and the walkers were usually slow, so he made good time. He rushed out of the tombs and locked the doors behind him.

"You still with me?"

He heard Maggie groan. "Put me down, you asshole." She was slurring her words, but she was still awake and pissed. They had made it out alive after all.

**AN: So I was gonna write a bit more, but I'm spent. Here you go loyal readers, a new chapter as promised. Yea me! I will be wrapping this up with the next chapter, and I was going to focus on Beth and her secret, but I really needed a believable reason for Maggie and Glen to be somewhat cool with Merle. This little gem just popped into my head so here it is. I hope you like it so far and I promise that the end will be sweet and funny. I make no promises on when I will have it up but I'm aiming for no later than Friday (fingers crossed). Thanks again for the love, I can't tell you how psyched I am about the response I have gotten. You guys rock! As always, please review!**


	17. All is Revealed

Karen walked over to the nursery area to relieve Merle. She scheduled him to watch the little one's right before nap time. He always played with the kids and wore them out so they went down for their naps easy. She saw Merle walking towards her, and at first she was concerned that he had hurt himself. He wasn't a young man and he was dragging his legs as he approached her. She smiled as he got closer and she noticed that Sara and her friend Hanna were sitting on Merles feet with their arms and legs wrapped around his caves.

"Oh Karen, I'm glad you're here. I really need your help. I can't seem to find Sara and Hanna anywhere. Would you mind helping me look for them?"

The girls were giggling already, and Karen smiled and pointed to his legs. He bent over at the waist and look at the girls attached to his feet. Both girls were overcome with a fit of giggles as he stared at them.

"Oh, well there you two are. I was getting worried. Ok girls, I have to go now. Head on back and get your nap mats ready for Miss Karen."

Both girls hopped up off his feet and began to head back into the room. Sara turned and pulled on Merles pants leg. He knelt down so he would be on her level.

"Mr. Merle...can you come and play with us tomorrow?"

"Well I haven't checked the schedule, but I bet that can be arranged."

Sara launched herself into Merles arms and gave him a hug. He gently put her back down and she ran into the room after her friend.

"You certainly have a way with the little ones. I would have never guessed that Merle Dixon; undisputed champion of the bitter fights would be a natural with kids."

"Surprised you and me both." Merle just shrugged.

"Say have you got an update on Maggie?"

Merle nodded. "Yea, she got knocked on the head pretty good, so her pop's is making her stay in bed for a few days and she aint any happier about it then Beth was. Looks like she's gonna be fine though."

"Glad to hear it, well I don't want to keep you. If you don't mind it would be great if you could be here the same time tomorrow."

Merle smiled. "Well I wouldn't want to disappoint the little ladies."

"Ok great, see ya tomorrow."

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

Glen walked into the storage room. He knew that Rick asked him to help inventory the guns and ammo to keep him busy. Maggie is recovering nicely, but she is not out of the woods just yet and as much as he hates to admit it he can't stand seeing her in banged up like that. The guilt begins to gnaw at him the moment he walks into her room. He should have been there, should have protected her. It's ridiculous but he can't seem to shake it. Walking up to the first shelf to his left; he began to reach up to take down the contents of the top shelf. He grabbed the barrel of one of the guns and slowly pulled it down. He was not able to see the box of ammo that was being pushed towards the edge of the shelf. It fell over and landed on Glen's head. He managed to not drop the gun, but once it was on the table he rubbed his head and began muttering curses under his breath. That was when he heard a snicker.

"Funny, I thought all you chinks were supposed to be smart. Guess that's just one o them racial stereotypes."

Glen looked up and noticed that Merle was in the room as well. He glared at him while continuing to rub his head. There was definitely a knot forming there.

"Let's just do this job and try to stay out of each other's way."

Glen turned back to his shelf but his mind began to wander. He had another issue that was nagging at the back of his mind. What did he do with Merle now? He still despised the man and considered him to be a raciest jack ass. Glen most likely could have forgiven Merle for what happened to him. He could have just killed Glen but he did give him somewhat of a fighting chance. It was Maggie; what she had gone through that made him so bitter. Merle was the one that handed her over to the Governor, so he was just as responsible for what happened. However; it was very clear that Maggie would have died if Merle had not gone after her. It was Maggie that had made him reject Merle entirely and now it was Maggie that was giving him cause to reconsider. He would never be friends with the man; hell he doubted that he would ever even like him. The fact remained that he was the reason Maggie was still with him; and to Glen that meant everything. After he had cataloged the contents of the top shelf, he walked over to Merle.

"Listen; I still think you're complete douche bag; but I never said thank you. Maggie means everything to me and she would have died if it wasn't for you. So; thank you." He extended his hand out to Merle.

Merle regarded him for a moment. He had several nasty comments pop into his mind, but he just kept imagining Beth standing in the room with her arms crossed and her blue eyes filled with disappointment. He sighed and briefly shook Glen's hand.

"I'm just glad she's ok. It would have tore Beth up something awful to lose her big sister like that."

Glen's eyes narrowed. "Say, what's up with you and Beth anyway? I noticed she's been a lot more independent since hanging around you; and you seem to be almost human."

Merle again though of several snide remarks, but took the high ground. "I guess she's just a positive influence. She did mention that you haven't been up to see Maggie very often. You having second thoughts about that rock you gave her?"

Glen shook his head. "No, no way. It's just…seeing her like that. I feel so guilty. I know there is nothing I could have done to help and who could have guessed that she would be in danger while watching the kids? I know it's not rational, but it bothers me…you know?"

Merle was not a man to open up to anyone, much less some annoying little china man that hated him most of the time. However, he was feeling a bit more emotional recently and figured what could it hurt?

"Yea, I do know what you mean. Every time I see Beth flinch when she moves her arm the wrong way, I get nauseous. She should never have been in that position."

Glen nodded. "Yea, I guess the lesson here is, never try to tell a Green girl what to do. It's a waste of breath." Glen turned to walk back over to his shelf. Merle grinned to himself before calling out.

"You know you anit so bad for a china man."

Glen turned and glared with a smirk on his face. "That's Korean man; or don't they teach geography at redneck high?"

"Listen Jackie Chan; at least I anit the one with the knot on my noggin."

"Oh yea; well at least I can clap; stumpy."

Merle looked like he was angry for real. He stood and stared at Glen and then raised his middle finger. Both men broke out in laughter. Glen decided that he was no longer going to complain about Merle's presence in the prison. Life was far too short to hold grudges.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTW D

Everyone was feeling pretty festive. Judith's first birthday was coming up and Beth was fully recovered. Maggie was doing well and Hershel allowed her to come down and eat with the group. Carol was so happy, she decided to break out the Governor's good stuff. After dinner was cleared and the children were put to bed, Carol began to poor everyone a glass. They all sat and began to drink and talk until it was late and everyone began to head for bed. Andrea went to the kitchen to see if there was anything that needed to be put away. She noticed that there was a full glass of liqure on the counter. It was from the Governor's stash and Andrea watched Carol pour the 18 year old single malt bottle of Glen Fidich into the individual cups. She looked around and decided to risk a sip. She took the glass and felt the liquid warm her through as the subtle flavors lingered on her tongue. She leaned on the counter and began to savor another sip when she heard someone clearing there through. She turned and saw Milton standing in the doorway with that pirate smile on his face.

"Should someone in your delicate condition be drinking?"

"Oh, haha. Very funny."

Milton decided to push it a bit, just to annoy her. "I mean we should be thinking about the baby, shouldn't we?"

Andrea tilted her head back and downed the rest of the drink. "That should answer your question."

"Andrea; I'm surprised at you."

Andrea turned to see Hershal standing behind Milton. She felt her face fall as she began to think of an explanation. She was drawing blanks and figured she would just try apologizing.

"I'm so sorry Hershsl, we were just teasing each other and I figured one drink wouldn't hurt. It won't happen again."

"Well I have to say, I'm very disappointed. I mean it's so unlike you to be this irresponsible."

Now Milton was getting angry. "Ok; that's about enough."

Andrea looked to Milton, her eyes pleading with him. "Milton, its fine."

"No it's not fine. You didn't do anything wrong; because you're not pregnant."

"Milton, this is not the time."

His voice was raised and his eyes were wide. "Your right; it's not the time. The time was days ago, and it involved a private conversation with her family which is what was supposed to have happened. So yea, it's not the time but here we are."

"I heard shouting; what's going on?" Andrea looked up to see Carol, Daryl and Carl in the kitchen.

"Andreas not pregnant and Milton is mad cuz Hershal was fussing at Andrea for drinking." Carl spouted the information in a matter-o-fact manner and Andrea was curious as to how long he had been standing there unnoticed.

"Wait; if Andrea's not pregnant, who is?" Carol looked thoroughly confused.

Daryl eyed Milton hard before he spoke. "You might want to think about everyone involved before answering."

Milton pointed to Daryl. "He knows?" He turned to Andrea. "He knows?"

"Well, I didn't know that, but it makes sense."

Carol was even more confused. "How do you know? There isn't anyone else in our group it could be except Maggie and she would have told us." Carol's jaw dropped and she turned to Milton. "Oh no! You can't mean Beth."

Milton responded with a simple head nod. Carol dropped her head into her hands. "Oh my word."

Andrea held up her hand. "Guys." Everyone turned to her. "Where is Hershal?"

Carol and Daryl look to each other and ran. Andrea, Milton and Carl were close behind and headed to Merle's room. They found Hershal headed up the stairs with a gun in his pocket. Everyone made a bee line to stop him. Daryl got there first.

"Hershel, slow down man. You don't wanna do this. I know your pissed, but think it through."

"Daryl I have been thinking it through. As a matter of fact; I've run it through my mind at least 4 times since I realized what was going on. And for future reference; I'm not pissed off. You've seen me pissed off…this is well beyond pissed."

The group made their way to Merle's room and found Maggie standing in the hallway outside of his cell. She placed a finger to her lips and motioned them to come closer. They crept slowly toward the doorway and began to hear two voices.

"So, I think I like Bianca for a girl name. I always loved The Rescuers and that was the name of the girl mouse. What do you think?"

Merle was sitting on his cot and Beth was sitting in front of him with her back leaned against him.

"You can pick any girl name you like. You're having a boy. Granddad was one of six boys and dad was one of four; then he had me and Daryl. Dixons have to import woman into the family."

Beth smiled back at him. "All right, then I like Liam for a boy. It's Gallic for William. What do you think?"

"I'm sorry; I was too busy staring at you to listen. What were you saying?"

Beth turned to face him and smacked him on the leg. "You better start paying attention to me mister, or I'm out of here."

Merle laughed. "Yes ma'am Miss Dixon; whatever you say."

"Miss Dixon? That's funny; I don't remember any ceremony and my ring finger is pretty naked. I think you must have me confused with someone else."

Merle pulled her close to him and spoke in her ear. "No ma'am; for the first time ever I aint confused at all. I don't need a piece of paper or jewelry; I already know you belong to me."

Beth felt a warm fuzzy feeling spreading through her body and she sank back into his embrace. Despite everything she had been through; she couldn't recall a time that she had ever been happier.

Outside the cell; Maggie motioned for her father to stand by her.

"I came down to say thank you to Merle and when I got close I heard Beth. I should have left; but anyway. I think it's time to admit that she's grown. You did everything you could to raise her right, and she was able to find the good in that thick-headed redneck. I think that says what a great job you and mom did."

Hershel stood for a moment and nodded slowly. "I guess I should go in there and have an uncomfortable conversation." He started to walk back to the cell.

"Daddy."

Hershel turned back to Maggie.

"Gun."

Hershel smiled weakly and handed her the pistol in his pocket. "Can't blame me for trying."

"Well if we honest, we've all wanted to shoot Merle at some point."

As Hershel walked into the doorway, Beth sat up.

"Hello Beth; I came to see about Merle and I didn't know you were here."

Beth looked to Merle and back to her father. "Actually daddy; I'm glad you're here. I need to talk to you."

"Ok darling; what's on your mind?"

**PROLOUGE**:

Karen rounded the corner and nearly ran into Maggie. "It's time!"

Maggie jumped into action and went to the makeshift delivery room they had set up. Hershel was already there and had his tray of supplies. Maggie and Karen knew there rolls and everything was going smoothly. Soon enough Maggie heard the angry cries of a newborn. She went to examine the squirming bundle of new life in her father's arms.

"It's a boy!" She gently took the baby from her dad and placed him into Carol's arms. Her eyes were filled with happy tears. "Oh, he's beautiful. I can't wait for Daryl to get back."

"Yea, but I'm glad he went on a run. Those Dixon's don't fare well with childbirth."

Carol laughed. "That's an understatement."

Just then, Maggie heard the distinctive sound of Daryl's motorcycle. She went downstairs to tell him the good news. He walked into the main room, followed closely by Beth. He look to Maggie, the tension in his body was visible.

"Congratulations Daryl; you are the proud daddy of a healthy baby boy. He and mamma are doing great if you want go see them.

He grinned like a school kid. "Whoo-hoo; I'm a dad ya'll." He hugged Beth and spun her around before running up to Carol's room.

Beth walked up to her sister. "So, everything went ok?"

"No complications, baby and mamma are recovering nicely."

Beth smiled; she loved her extended family so much. At that moment she herd the pitter patter of little feet headed her way. She saw a little boy with sandy blond curls, a cherub face, and saucer sized blue eyes headed toward her.

"Mamma; help me!"

She scoped up the boy and kissed his face. "What am I saving you from now?" He pointed to the doorway and a little girl emerged. She had dark hair and deep blue eyes. Her pony tail swished back and forth as she searched the room. Once she noticed the boy in Beth's arms she made her way over to them.

"Liam, you promised to play house with me!"

He turned to Beth. "Mamma, she keeps trying to kiss me. Tell her not to; I don't want coodies."

Beth laughed. "You've been talking to Carl, haven't you? First of all; girls don't have coodies, and if you told Judith you would play with her then you should. Dixons always keep their word…right?"

The little boy sighed. "Yes mamma. But no kissing; ok Junebug?"

The little girl raised her right hand. "I promise." No one noticed her left was behind her back with her fingers crossed. Apparently Liam was not the only one getting information from Carl.

Beth put down her son and went to see her new nephew. Life was good for now and she would enjoy every happy moment.

**AN:** Finally finished! Whew! Thank you guys for your patients, I love you all. Special thanks to Brazen Hussy; Athlete Girl; and English Poet18 for sticking around from the jump and reviewing so frequently. Reviews really do help keep us writers motivated. Also thanks to Muggle born princess and sorry-i-wasn't-listening for their encouragement and helpful reviews. To everyone who reviewed; I want you to know that you really do help shape the story and keep it going…so keep spreading the love. My next fic will be a crossover with TWD and Harry Potter. Yes I know…its crazy and I blame my BFF for asking the question "Would Avada Kedavra work on a zombie?" Damn her eyes! Stay tuned and once I start posting…well you know ;-)


End file.
